Clearing Babachir Lawal or Self-Indictment, By Jibrin Ibrahim

The president owes himself an even greater duty – protecting his personal reputation as a fearless anti-corruption crusader. He can only do so when he takes allegations against his friends and staffers seriously and acts. By appearing to refuse to act, the president would be indicting himself in the court of public opinion.

This week, the big story has been that President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate in response to the lawmakers’ indictment of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and their call for his removal and prosecution. The letter provided an explanation, or rather, some excuses why the president would not act. The letter depicts a very high level of incompetence on the part of whoever wrote it but above all appears to make the argument that the presidential team can engage in corruption without consequence, which is the most direct route for the Buhari presidency to lose its credibility as a bastion of anti-corruption.

No hiding place for money launders anymore - Magu

Acting Chairman, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has reiterated that there is no hiding place for money launders as he promised that the law will surely catch up with them. 

He made this position known today at a one day workshop organized by the Nigeria Bar Association in collaboration with the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption titled: “Anti-Corruption, Ethics of The Legal Profession and Justice Sector”, at the Rockview Hotel, Abuja. 

PHOTONEWS: Anti-Corruption, Anti-Fayose Protest Rocks Ekiti

How House of Representatives Passes 19 Critical Bills in One Sitting

In continuation of its resolve to improve on the quality of and reduce the time frame within which bills are passed, the Nigeria's House of Representatives on Thursday passed 19 bills.

The bills, which, however, require concurrence of the senate and presidential assent to be made laws, cover serious areas of concentration of the present administration including anti-corruption, national minimum wage, strengthening of small and medium businesses, manufacturing sector, among others.

It will be recalled that the House only recently passed 130 bills through first reading on the same day. Many of those bills, it will be noted, have scaled through further legislative processes.

Nigerian Senate to launch transparency and delivery commission

The Nigerian Senate is to inaugurate an independent Transparency and Delivery Commission (TDC), as part of measures to review and improve the oversight systems and tools of the Senate.

The measures which was in line with the Legislative Agenda approved by the Senate, was announced by the President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media and Communication), Yusuph Olaniyonu.

Olaniyonu disclosed in the statement that the Commission would be led by a working group consisting of a world leading research institution and a partner institute in Nigeria with an internationally acclaimed anti-corruption expert acting as the advisor.