From Kenneth Udeh from Abuja
A bill proposing that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must, henceforth, be at least a High Court Judge, serving or retired personnel of any government law enforcement or anti-corruption agency or a Commissioner of Police has passed the first reading at the Senate.
The proposed amendment of the EFCC Act of June 2004 is sponsored by Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra North).
The bill stipulates that only very experienced people who had passed through the ranks and had attained to almost the zenith of the above levels in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies would be eligible to become Chairman of the anti-corruption agency.
Nwoye’s bill also sought to alter the current provisions of the EFCC Act 2004, particularly Section 2(3), which outlined the qualifications for the EFCC chairman. Specifically, this section stipulates that the EFCC chairman must be a “serving or retired member of a government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent, with a minimum of 15 years experience.
If the bill becomes law, a serving or retired person of any government law enforcement agency within the rank of an “Assistant Commissioner of Police” or equivalent would no longer be eligible to head the EFCC.
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, introduced the bill during plenary followed by the reading of its abridged title by the Senate Clerk, Chinedu Akubueze, after which it was adopted by the Senate.
The amendments in the draft copy of the bill sighted by the correspondent reads: “Section 2 subsection 1 paragraph (a)(ii) of the Principal Act is amended by stating: ‘a Chairman of the Commission shall be a serving or former member of any Government Law Enforcement or Anti-corruption Agency not below the rank of Commissioner of Police or Director as the case may be.”
“Section 2 subsection 1 paragraph (a)(ii) of the Principal Act is amended by stating “a Chairman of the Commission shall be a person who has held or qualified to hold the office as a judge of a superior court of record in Nigeria with cognate experience.”