Follow Us on Google
• Says nobody can remove acting EFCC chair
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has thrown his full weight behind the embattled Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
He said the embattled Magu would remain the anti-graft chief as long as President Muhammadu Buhari remain in the saddle.
The acting president who spoke through Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai shortly before the inauguration of the EFCC zonal office in Kaduna, yesterday, said Buhari has implicit confidence in Magu’s ability to stamp out endemic corruption in the country.
“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,’’ he said.
Mr. El-Rufa’i also told the gathering that the acting president was solidly behind Mr. Magu.
“Last night, I spoke with the acting president, 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.
“We have every confidence in Magu to fight corruption to a standstill.”
In his welcome address, El-Rufai said he had recovered over N500 million from corrupt past government officials and contractors.
He said they would be handed over to the EFCC in due course for prosecution.
El-Rufai who said he encouraged the establishment of EFCC zonal office in Kaduna because the state has “zero tolerance to bad behaviour by public office holders, contractors, businesses and citizens”, promised the Commission a land for its training school and staff accommodation.
“The Commission can continue to count on us for support. We have set aside a land in Kaduna for your training school,” he said.
Magu in his address called for the establishment of a special prison for corrupt Nigerians.
Magu, who said the prison should be sited in the dreaded Boko Haram infested Sambisa forest, in Borno State, warned that if concerted efforts were not made to rid the country of corruption, the scourge would kill Nigeria.
For the prison to become a reality, he said there must be a synergy between the judiciary and the Commission.
“We want to call for establishment of prison in Sambisa forest in order to keep away corrupt people from our midst.
“In this case, the judiciary has direct influence to help in the fight against corruption.
“But concerted efforts are being made by some big Nigerians to neutralise the fight against corruption.
“We must change the narrative by fighting back those that do not want the fight to succeed.
“I remain committed to the fight against corruption, and I commend the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, for encouraging EFCC to establish a zonal office in Kaduna.
“We must, therefore, join hands together to kill corruption, before corruption will kill us. This is the reason I have suggested that we set up a prison for the corrupt in the Sambisa forest, where they can be kept away and have the sobriety to be truly reformed,” Magu said.
He said illegal monies were likely to be abandoned by corrupt persons at the nation’s airport and places in the near future as it happened at the airport few months ago.
Magu has been in the eye of the storm for some months. After the senate rejected to confirm him as substantial chairman of the anti-graft agency twice, on account of an unfavourable security report, his continued stay in office has pitted the Senate against the executive.
At Tuesday’s plenary, the Red Chamber reaffirmed it earlier resolve not to treat nominations brought before it by the executive, until its resolution to relieve Magu of his job was complied with.
In what seemed like a carry-over of the paliament-executive acrimony, the inauguration of the Kaduna office witnessed a mild drama, as senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, walked out to protest the presence of El-Rufai.
