Senate’s Rejection Of Magu’s Appointment Is Shameless, Anti-People – Group

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Friday, December 16th, 2016

LAGOS, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the rejection by the Senate of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu as an act of vengeance and a shameless anti-people decision.

It subsequently declared that the rejection of Magu’s appointment by Senate was a declaration of hostilities against the anti-corruption crusade, contending that the upper legislative Chamber has just revealed its true colour as ‘’corruption’s undisputed numero uno Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)’’.

In a statement issued in Lagos Friday by its Director Prof. Ishaq Akintola, MURIC alleged that Senate has decided to take its pound of flesh for Magu’s no nonsense stance in EFCC’s role in the war against corruption, yet maintained that the Senate has been too clever by half.

MURIC challenged that the Nigerian people ‘’are not stupid morons’’, alleging that the lawmakers were baring their fangs.

‘’Nigerians know that the same EFCC under Magu is behind the exposure of alleged corrupt dealings of the Senate President whose forgery case is still in court. Magu is being punished for daring the Senate President. In acting capacity since November 2015, Magu’s screening which had been pending since July, 2016 was billed for last Thursday 8th December but it was postponed again till yesterday. Was the procrastination not a hidden message to the EFCC boss? “Back off and you will be confirmed. Persist and you will never be confirmed!”, MURIC posited.

Although the group reasoned that the rejection might have put the last nail in the coffin, still, stated Nigerians need to know Senate’s modus operandi, adding that the Senate believed that the executive arm of government must play ball even at the expense of the masses or face the consequences.

The organization insists that the ‘’Senate feels threatened by the war against corruption because its hands are not clean’’.

‘’We remind Nigerians of the ping-pong game on the 2016 budget. Senate found one excuse after another to frustrate the presentation of the 2016 budget to the detriment of the Nigerian people. Patriotism was sent to the winds and the real purpose of legislation which was to serve the people was ignored by Senate members.

‘’It is noteworthy that Senate was actually hijacked ab initio for the singular purpose of frustrating President Buhari’s administration. Powerful forces had correctly predicted that Buhari would go all out for the jugular of corrupt elements in society. These powerful forces are now using an hijacked Senate to fight back.

‘’The signs in the horizon are ominous. Senate is being used to fight the Buhari administration. Half of his ambassadorial nominees were recently rejected by Senate. The same Senate has rejected nominees known to have criticized Senate at one time or the other. This Senate has shown beyond any reasonable doubt that it is frustrating the current war against corruption.

‘’This Senate has shown that it only cares for the interest of its members and not that of the Nigerian people. Despite the current recession, it purchased 108 exotic Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles at the whopping cost of N31.5 million per car (totaling N3.6 billion) for its members. This is an act of insensitivity and a crime against poor Nigerians. This is in spite of getting car loans for its members in August 2015! Even the price of the vehicles was allegedly inflated because each vehicle costs N17 million only, ceteris paribus.

‘’Ten new exotic cars were delivered to Senate Deputy President in December 2015. The Senate president got more earlier. To circumvent extant laws, Senate is desperately amending the anti-corruption law. It sought immunity for its leadership. It is also feverishly engaged in stripping the President of his executive powers in virtually all matters simply because Buhari has remained adamant in his war on corruption’’ the group observed.

It therefore called on civil society and the Nigeria Labour Congress (PDP) to rise against the hijacked Senate and charged the arrow head of civil society, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), to do the needful.

The group urged workers to mobilize at the appropriate time to make it impossible for the National Assembly to work against the interest of the masses as well as warned that the jamaheer are doomed if Senate is allowed to frustrate the current war against corruption.

MURIC called on religious leaders, church clerics and Imams to mobilize their followers for a showdown with this ‘’greedy Senate’’, accusing it of being behind the hunger and starvation being faced by Nigerians.

‘’They are responsible for all our economic woes. A morally bankrupt NASS cannot represent the electorate. A non-violent people’s revolution targeted at the NASS has become expedient’’ Prof Akintola attacked.

The MURIC Director justified Prof, Wole Soyinka verbal describing Nigerians as ‘stupid’ and ‘morons’.

‘’ We believe that Soyinka was grossly misunderstood. Those words were vituperations compelled by the docility of Nigerians in the face of massive fraud, monumental corruption and unequalled oppression. In other climes, massive demonstrations at the NASS after those shocking revelations would have forced its leaders to resign.

‘’Soyinka is shocked that Nigerians fail to know their real enemies. Those words were meant to express disdain for our nonchalance and passivity thereby jogging us to action. They were wake up calls. We must show this Senate that we are neither ‘stupid’ nor ‘morons’’ MURIC demanded.