TheCable

Senate President Ahmad Lawan says any request that comes from President Muhammadu Buhari will make the country a better place.

Lawan said this on Thursday when he received Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), at his office in Abuja.

Sagay had appealed to the senate president to ensure that Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is confirmed as the substantive head of the agency.

But the senate president said there is no pending request for Magu’s confirmation.

The senate under the leadership of Bukola Saraki had rejected the nomination of Magu thrice.

“The confirmation of Acting chairman of EFCC – there is no request before this senate for the confirmation of the acting chairman of EFCC,” he said.

“This is a new senate and therefore, until there is a request to his senate, there is nothing the senate can do.

“I want to assure you that any request that comes from Mr President is a request that will make Nigeria a better place in terms of appointments or legislation and the senate will act expeditiously to ensure that we play our part in the confirmation or passing of legislation appropriately.”

The senate president said the lawmakers are “in a haste” to pass anti-corruption bills.

“As far as we are concerned, those bills will have to come again and start to go through the process from the very beginning,” he said.

“We are ready, in fact, we are in a haste if those bills are ready for us to start working on them.”

Earlier, Sagay, while making a case for Magu, said the acting EFCC chairman, has accomplished “magnificent work so far in the years of being in that position.”

“We also want to bring before the Senate, some of the criticisms of the public in the area of oversight,” he said.

“There is this constant complain that members of committees demand some form of gratification before they would visit a place or write anything favourable about the MDAs.”