Friday, March 29, 2024

Magu must go now, says political analyst

  • Urges Presidency to order refund of rent paid for his accommodation

A political analyst and writer, Adamu Sani, has questioned the continued stay of the embattled Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Magu Ibrahim, in office inspite of the Senate’s decision not to confirm him as the substantive boss of the anti-graft agency.

Sani said that the various allegations of corruption levelled against the EFCC acting chairman were enough grounds for him to have either quit office or be removed by the appropriate authorities.
He noted that the controversies surrounding the source of the rent paid for the official residence of the anti-graft agency’s boss had further compounded the issue.
The political analyst stressed that even with the new claims that the Federal Capital Development Authority paid the rent for Magu’s official residence and not by a suspect being investigated by the commission, it was illegal for the EFCC boss to have moved into such an apartment rented and furnished with such a stupendous amount, because the development contravened the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.
Sani in a statement made available to The Point, said, “The question here is, is it legal for FCDA to endorse the payment of N83,000,000 for renting and furnishing the residence of the EFCC acting chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu?”
The political analyst further stressed that according to the government’s monetization policy, it was illegal for the FCDA or any branch of the executive arm of the government to use tax payers’ funds for personal purposes.
“The monetization policy was passed into law vis-a-vas passage of the certain political and judicial office holder acts in 2002. It is legally stated that monetization of the salaries and allowances of all categories of Federal public servants that were formally paid in kinds be converted to cash by the salary and wages commission. The fundamental aim of the policy is to prevent and thwart government officials from using the public or tax-payers’ money for personal gain.
“So it is very glaring that the monetization policy was expressly defiled when the FCDA funded the accommodation of an executive. It is illegal for the FCDA to pay rent and furnish a house for even the minister, let alone heads of government agencies.”
He said that with the evidence presented against the anti-graft agency’s boss, it had become clear that, “Mr. Magu Ibrahim is not fit to still occupy the position of Acting chairman of the EFCC.”
Sani, however, said he expected Magu to evacuate the property and tax payers’ funds refunded to the FCDA accounts.
“The attorney general of the federation should investigate the FCTA’s involvement in this illegal act of paying and furnishing the residence of Mr. Ibrahim Magu with N83,000,000 of tax payers’ funds. Ibrahim Magu should be fired and investigated; if found guilty of these allegations, he should face prosecution like everyone else,” he added.
The political analyst also insisted that the President owed the nation a duty to flush out all the notorious corrupt elements in his government and their cronies, without any further delay.
“The present administration has been consistently accused of being biased and partisan in the fight against corruption. A number of highly corrupt politicians who pledge last minute allegiance to the ruling APC have been clearly excluded from the probing list.
“I would say it is corrupt to selectively fight corruption. It is corrupt to fight corruption for personal gains and it is corrupt for corrupt officials to be used to fight corruption. So, how do we eliminate this parasitic disease sucking our economy and giving Nigeria a bad image around the world as a fantastically corrupt country?  The fight against corruption has to begin from within,” Sani said.

Popular Articles