Magu’s achievements should have counted
Majority of Nigerians were shocked and demoralized at the same time to see the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu being humiliated and out rightly rejected by the powerful Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This latest development happens to be second occasion that Ibrahim Magu will be […]
Majority of Nigerians were shocked and demoralized at the same time to see the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu being humiliated and out rightly rejected by the powerful Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This latest development happens to be second occasion that Ibrahim Magu will be subjected to another kind of humiliation. Nobody can dispute the fact that the present senate is more or less the most vibrant we have ever had in this country given the sheer number of distinguished personalities in the hallowed chamber. But their refusal to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of EFCC will be a as significant setback in the fight against corruption in the country and will reflect badly on the senate because their integrity will definitely be questioned by Nigerians. Under the leadership of Magu, successes have been recorded because of his zeal and total commitment to the fight against corruption. He has exhibited high sense of professionalism and competence in doing his job that is why the country had witnessed series of discoveries of loot stashed away in many places unimaginable when which could have been missed had it not been Magu’s diligence and his total attention to details. There should be legislation by the National Assembly so that the money recovered by EFCC could legally be used to finance to our budget deficit, or to fix our infrastructure.
When President Buhari was eventually elected in 2015 having previously tried in three consecutive attempts, the general mood in the country was that of optimism and renewed hope. With President Buhari at the helm, Nigerians are safe by virtue of his impressive record of zero tolerance for corruption.
Therefore, the fact that President Buhari could send the name of Ibrahim Magu to the Senate for confirmation for the first and second occasion respectively speaks volumes about the President’s conviction that Magu is the right man to wage a very serious, meaningful and committed fight against corruption. President Buhari should resend the name of Magu to the senate given the fact that we already had precedent in this regard.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had to send the name of Professor Babalola Borishade to the Senate for more than three times before he was eventually screened to become the Minister of Health. The senate President should prevail on his colleagues to allow Magu to become the substantive chairman of EFCC because both President Buhari, the Senate President and majority of our senators belonged to the same political party, it is their party that will get the credit for any success recorded in the fight against corruption. The Senators should be magnanimous enough to overlook Magu’s shortcomings in view of the fact that he has achieved a lot in his effort to rid Nigeria of corruption once and for all. Our distinguished Senators should have used Magu’s achievements as the basis or yardstick for his confirmation.
Bashir Shehu Yusuf, Gezawa, Kano State.