For The First Time Nigeria Is Recognized As One Of The Top 10 Most Improved Economies In The World

The presidency shared the news on Twitter.

Issues in senate’s threat to impeach Osinbajo

ONE OF the major issues
that generated tension in the
political space of the country
after the senate resumed
from its mid-term break
on Tuesday, July 4, was the
threat to impeach the Acting
President, Professor Yemi
Osinbajo over alleged comments
credited to him that
executive appointments did
not require legislative approval.
It all started in March this
year when the Senate refused
to confirm Mr. Ibrahim Magu
as substantive of chairman of
the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC
chairman, following petitions
against him by the Director
General of the Department
of State Services, DSS,
Mr. Lawal Daura.
Osinbajo was later quoted
to have said that the Senate
lacks the power to reject anyone
nominated for appointment
by the Presidency, and
vowed that Magu would not
be removed from office as
demanded by the upper legislative
chamber. The acting
President reportedly based
his argument on Section 171
of the 1999 Constitution.
However, the senators after
about two hours closed-door
session protested against
a letter from Osinbajo asking
the Senate to confirm the nomination of Mr. Lanre
Gbajabiamila as the chairman
of the National Lottery Regulatory
Commission, NLRC
which was read by the Senate
President, Dr. Bukola Saraki,
at the plenary. The lawmakers
wondered why the Acting
President, who had said that
the legislature lacks power to
approve certain appointments
by the executive, was seeking
their confirmation of another
nominee.
The senators were particularly
peeved by the continuous
retention of Magu in office as
the Acting Chairman of EFCC
by the Presidency against his
rejection by the senate while at
the same time, expecting them
to confirm other nominees forwarded
for approval.
To show their seriousness to
the issue, the lawmakers said
that an embargo should be
placed on confirmation of executive
appointments pending
the time the powers of the legislature
had been recognised.
They particularly asked that
invitation from the EFCC to
any member must henceforth
be ignored while threatening
that they might move against
the leadership of the Senate if
it failed to take a drastic action
against the executive within 48
hours.
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola
Saraki, who read the Act ing President’s letter on Gbajabiamila
during plenary, had to
rule in favour of his colleagues
by saying that “this is an issue
that we have to once and for all
address”, adding that “we cannot
pass laws and see that the
laws are not being obeyed”.
“This resolution must be
obeyed by the Acting President
otherwise we will take appropriate
actions and resolutions”,
he warned.
According to a source, the
Presidency had intelligence report
on some warring senators
plotting the impeachment of
the Acting President. “Part of
the intelligence report showed
that some senators had plotted
the impeachment script before
the Tuesday session. Those
who tabled the motion were
actually not aware that the Acting
President had returned to
the country”, the source said.
Senator Ahmad Sani (APC
Zamfara West) had come under
Point of Order 42 of the Senate
Standing Rule that the upper
legislative chamber should
stop the confirmation of Gbajabiamila
as the Lottery Commission
boss based on the Acting
President’s alleged comment.
The lawmaker wondered why Osinbajo was requesting
for the nominees’ confirmation
after he had reportedly
said that the Senate
lacks power of confirmation
on certain nominees from the
Presidency.
Also, Senator George Sekibo
(PDP Rivers East), said
the Executive was only trying
to take over the powers
of the Senate, wondering
whether the Acting President
was in touch with the EFCC
Act, which states that “the
President shall nominate and
Senate will confirm”.
He explained that rejecting
the senate’s resolution is similar
to that of the constitution,
adding that “there is nothing
like Executive Orders in a
democratic constitution”.
“The Constitution did not
give room for acting appointment
after a nominee has
been rejected by the Senate.
If the Acting President says
we do not have the power
to confirm and then turns
around to send us a nomination,
which one do we now
take?”, Sekibo asked.
Also, Senators Sam Anyanwu
(PDP Imo East) and Isa
Misau (APC Bauchi Central)
wondered why the Senate
is still accepting letters of
confirmation and called for
suspension of action on all
nomination requests from
the Presidency.
According to Senator Anyanwu,
if the Presidency fails.

onfirmation saga: We won’t remove Magu, Osinbajo tells Senate

*Says he’s nightmares to corrupt people

*Says Magu will remain as EFCC boss in Buhari’s tenure

*We need to build prison for corrupt persons in Sambisa forest – Magu

*Shehu Sani walks out of the event as El’Rufai arrives

Apparently referring to the Senate and its leadership, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has sent a strong warning to the lawmakers over President Muhammadu Buhari’s power to appoint anybody into office in line with section 171 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

According to Osinbajo, the Senate cannot dictate to him or the President on whom to appoint, saying that nobody can remove the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, from office during the tenure of the present administration.

Speaking in Kaduna on Thursday while commissioning a zonal office of the EFCC, Osinbajo described Magu as a “nightmare for corrupt people”.

The acting president, who was represented by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai reaffirmed that the presidency has so much confidence in the acting chairman of the EFCC.

El-Rufai then said, “Mr Chairman, two weeks ago, I discussed the EFCC and your appointment with President Muhammadu Buhari and he told me he has every confidence in you and every confidence in the commission and the work that you have been doing, and as long as he is president you remain the chairman of the EFCC.”

The governor also told the gathering that the Acting President was also solidly behind Magu.

He said, “Last night, I spoke with the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who reconfirmed the position of the President and told me that as long as he remained the Acting President or Vice President, Ibrahim Magu would remain the chairman of the EFCC.

“That is the only message from the President, so those thinking that corruption is winning this war, Magu would remain their nightmare for the next two years or six years as the case may be.’’

In his personal remarks, el-Rufai said that over N500 million had been recovered from corrupt officials of the past government and some contractors in Kaduna state, adding “those officials would be handed over to the EFCC for prosecution.”

The governor had earlier said his administration donated the office to the EFCC to demonstrate its “zero tolerance to bad behaviour by public office holders, contractors, businesses and citizens.

El-rufai applauded the the leadership of the EFCC for taking significant step to establish a state office in Kaduna.

The governor assured that the commission can continue to count on government of Kaduna for support in every aspect of its activities.

“We have set aside land for your training school awaiting the submission of your application.

“We have also set aside land to build your staff housing estate if you so require.”

He said the state was first to adopt the Federal Government policy on Single Treasury Account (TSA).

The governor explained that as a result of that, over N25bn was realised by the government after it closed about 470 accounts with commercial banks.

He said the anti-graft agency had assisted the state government in recovering over N400m from corrupt public officials.

In his earlier remarks, the acting chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu called on members of the public to support the agency in the fight against corruption in the country.

Magu said that Nigerians must rise and do what is expected of them to reclaim their commonwealth been “stolen by a few corrupt individuals.”

He said; “If we can pause and trace the root cause of the problem that confronts us as a nation, we will discover they are all linked to corruption.

“Corruption is the cause of the recession that has pushed our people deeper into poverty and the insurgency that has visited death, displacement and untold hardship on Nigerians in the North East.
This is the reason I have suggested that we set up prison for the corrupt in the Sambisa forest, where they can be kept away and have the sobriety to be truly reformed.”

Meanwhile, the long drawn battle line between the Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-rufai, and the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial district, Senator Shehu Sani, took a new twist as Senator Sani walked out of the venue of the event, following the arrival of the governor.

But the Senator had arrived early and had begun to fraternize himself with the environment when he noticed the arrival of the entourage of El-rufai but could not hold his displeasure as the stormed out of the venue and drove off.

Commenting on the development, Senator Sani said, “I honoured the invitation to launch the zonal office of the EFCC and to participate in a stakeholder’s forum.

“I don’t think someone invited in this event fits into the philosophy and principles of the EFCC.

“I don’t know how the EFCC can squarely investigate corruption cases in Kaduna with some of these characters cutting the tape of their new abode.”