People With Allegation Of Corruption, Fast Becoming Too ‘Strong’ – Muhuyi Magaji
The Chairman of Kano Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission, Barr. Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado has lamented that the anti-corruption fight is facing serious challenges in Nigeria.
Rimin Gado said this at the 32nd Anti-corruption Situation Room (ACSR), organized by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), held in Kano on Tuesday.
He said common Nigerians are the ones bearing the brunt of corruption in the country as a result of the fact that the “people accused of corrupt practices are becoming more and more powerful in the country.”
According to him, the event was timely as it helped devise means of bringing issues that need to be addressed in a bid to achieve the desired result in the anti-corruption crusade.
On his part, the Former Executive Secretary, of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Sadiq Isah Radda advised the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to concentrate on politicians only in asset declaration.
Radda, who was the Chairman of the occasion, noted that most of the activities of the CCB are centered around politicians.
According to him, for the CCB to fight corruption squarely, judges, civil servants and members of the National Assembly should be included in the asset declaration.
The former PACAC Executive Secretary also noted that for CCB to win its war against corruption among public office holders, it must extend its activities to all three arms and tiers of government.
“We have three tiers of government and three arms of government, all these must be included in asset declaration if we want to fight corruption squarely in this country.
“Judges and civil servants should also be asked to declare their assets, not only politicians, especially governors and presidents. Members of the National Assembly should also be included,” Prof. Radda said.
In his remark, the foremost human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, SAN advocated for the regional Code of Conduct Tribunal to prosecute infractions arising from asset declaration by public office holders.
Falana made the call while presenting a keynote address virtually via Zoom at the event
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The learned silk said the regional CCT would take care of the current scenario where only two to three judges presided over the CCT and infractions from the entire country.
According to him, “the Code of Conduct Bureau is under funds. It operates under the canopy of the Attorney General of the Federation. There is no provision for it under the constitution. It is supposed to be an independent body, well funded with adequate staff around the country. But right now, the body is not deliberately allowed to work and perform its constitutional duties.
“It is the same thing with the Code of Conduct Tribunal CCT. There is no way you can have only two or three judges that will cover 36 states and FCT in terms of prosecuting those who breach the exercise of asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.
“We should have a regional CCT. We can’t have three people sitting in Abuja’s overall infractions from the entire country.
“The CCB can also collate information with regards to declaration of assets online instead of traveling around the 36 states since we do many examinations and interviews conducted online successfully,” he suggested.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, Mr. Suraju Olanrewaju frowned at the present condition of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT which he said is in a comatose.
He called for the empowering of the tribunal to effectively and efficiently perform its constitutional duties or for the National Assembly to commence a process of amending the law to have properly constituted mechanisms for the prosecution of infractions arising from asset declaration.
Olanrewaju said, “We are concerned about the CCT in comatose and that is why you have not seen any media report around anything happening within CCT. And that is a very key constitutional instrument meant to deter people from illicitly acquiring assets outside the means of their legitimate earnings. But it is completely missing in the whole anti-corruption effort. And it gives room for people to get away with blue mothers. We are displeased with the situation.
“We either have a properly constituted and effective and efficient CCT or we move with the National Assembly should commence a process of amending the law to have a properly constituted mechanisms for the prosecution of infractions arising from asset declaration,” Mr. Olanrewaju however stated.
