The Senate has expressed its willingness to start work on a bill that will ensure necessary amendments to the Act that established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The spokesperson for the red chamber, Senator Ajibola Basiru, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday in Abuja.
He said since the attempt by the federal parliament to pass the bill meant to amend certain provisions of the EFCC Act in the 8th National Assembly did not succeed, Nigerians should come up with suggestions on how to proceed with a fresh bill in the current assembly.
Basiru, who acknowledged the fact that some interested Nigerians and groups had been advocating an amendment to the act, explained that it was not a task that the lawmakers could carry out without it being initiated by Nigerians.
He said, “If any group or groups think there is the need to amend the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004, they should come up with the amendment they are suggesting. The National Assembly is receptive to any view, opinion and suggestion.
“They should compile the aspects of the Act they want to be amended and forward it to their representatives in the National Assembly so that it would be presented as a private member bill.
“Alternatively, they could send it in form of a memo to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation so that it would be presented to the National Assembly as an executive bill.
“The National Assembly may not know what exactly those seeking the amendment want, that is why we are calling on them to come up with their recommendations.
“Since the bill on the amendment to the Act that was introduced by the House of Representatives in the 8th Assembly was not passed, a new one has to come up.”
The House of Representatives had at the twilight of the 8th National Assembly passed for third reading a bill which sought to amend the EFCC Act.
The proposed legislation, which did not see the light of the day, had raised the qualification for the chairmanship of the EFCC to an Assistant Inspector-General of Police.
The dead bill also expanded the qualification to include a legal practitioner with no less than 20 years of post-call-to-bar experience.
It also sought to empower the Senate’s simple majority to sack the commission’s boss.
It equally replaced interim forfeiture of funds and properties with ex parte order to seize suspects’ belongings.
The lower chamber had harmonised four bills seeking to amend the EFCC Act on May 19, 2019 and passed it for third reading.
The action followed the adoption of the report by the House Committee on Financial Crime. (Punch)
