By Nathaniel Zacchaeus
The Senate yesterday passed for second reading a Bill seeking to amend the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act intending to make it difficult for the President to sack the head of the anti-graft agency without legislative approval.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu).
The Bill seeks to ensure that the appointment and removal of the EFCC’s chairman are subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
The bill also seeks to amend the commission’s establishment Act to restrict non-EFCC staff from heading the anti-agency.
Utazi said the proposed amendment was to bring EFCC in conformity with other anti-graft agencies by guaranteeing the security of tenure for the commission’s chairman.
He said, “For other anti-graft agencies created through the legislative instrumentality, before and later, that is, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the National Assembly ensured that the headship had the security of tenure by ensuring that their appointments and removal, as the case may be, were subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
“That was not the case with the EFCC. Therefore, this proposed amendment is intended to bring the EFCC in conformity with the other two anti-graft agencies of the government. This will engender optimal performance by the Commission of the very important mandate assigned to it.”
On barring non-EFCC staff from heading the commission, Utazi said the amendment would enhance professionalism in the service of the anti-graft agency.
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Abdurasheed Bawa is the first EFCC staff to be appointed as the chairman of the anti-graft agency. Others who had served as the commission’s chiefs were appointed from outside of EFCC.
Utazi said President Muhammadu Buhari’s action to appoint the EFCC chairman from within was commendable and needed to be backed by law to guarantee tenure security.
He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has carved his name and administration in gold by this very singular action, and posterity will never forget him.
“All that is required of this parliament is to endorse this executive action by amending the EFCC Establishment Act to restrict non-trained EFCC staff from the headship of the Commission, going forward. This will enhance professionalism in the service of this anti-graft agency.”
Meanwhile, the Senate at plenary yesterday passed the 2023 budget of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) following the presentation of the Committee on Communications.
The NCC 2023 budget is N559, 080, 711, 000 made up of a total recurrent expenditure of N86.7bn, total capital expenditure of N5.2bn, and special projects of N35bn.
The commission is expected to transfer N416bn out of the projected revenue, to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The red chamber also passed the Universal Service Provision Fund 2023 budget of N16bn.
It is made up of N2.4bn recurrent expenditure, N124.8bn capital expenditure, and projects expenditure of N13.4bn.
