TVC N. The Senate yesterday deferred the screening of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu to Thursday next week.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi South), said the reason for the shift was to allow senators who were away to participate in the screening.
“When we looked at the number of phone calls from the senators who wanted to participate at the screening, we felt it would be wrong for us to proceed.”
“We had since written an official letter to the acting chairman, giving him the new date for the confirmation hearing on his appointment.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, had through a letter to the Senate in July 14, requested it to confirm Magu as the substantive chairman of the commission.
The Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu had announced at the plenary session on Wednesday that the confirmation hearing would hold next week.
Also, the Senate yesterday urged the Federal Government to overhaul the healthcare system at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps.
The call followed the death of three corps members, Miss Ifedolapo Oladepo, Miss Elechi Chiyerom and Mr. Ukeme Asuquo in their orientation camps in Kano, Zamfara and Bayelsa states.
Adopting a motion sponsored by the Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye (APC, Osun Central) said the orientation camps nationwide were unfit for human habitation.
The upper chamber urged the Federal Government to equip the medical facilities at the orientation camps and deploy medical experts to run them.
Senate President Bukola Saraki said, “Health services in orientation camps would be captured in the 2017 budget.”
Meanwhile, yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has faulted the Senate’s plan to scrap the Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank for Commerce and Industry Act and the National Economic Reconstruction Fund Act.
Afenifere noted that the bill further seeks to bring the total assets of the organisations under one body to be called the National Development Bank.
According to the group, the bill has passed the second reading in the Senate since October 12 and had been committed to the upper legislative chamber’s Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Bodies for further work. It also noted that the plan had been supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
