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Presidency Can’t Re-nominate Magu For EFCC Job – Senate

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Based on extant Senate rules, the upper legislative chamber will not reconsider Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should he be re-nominated.
Citing Senate Rules, Order 131, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) said President Muhammadu Buhari could not validly re-nominate Magu for the job again as the provision would not allow members consider his nomination, having been rejected at a senate session.
Order 131 of the Senate Rules states that, “nominations neither confirmed nor rejected during the session or within 21 working days in the case of ministerial nominees shall be returned by the Clerk to the National Assembly to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and shall not again be made to the Senate by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Magu was rejected by the Senate after he was screened on Wednesday – exactly three months after the parliament first rejected him at its December 15, 2016 closed-door session, citing damning corruption allegations against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Buhari had on January 24, 2017, represented Magu for confirmation, noting he had been cleared of the allegations of corruption leveled against him.
Magu was however considered for screening the second time because he had not been rejected at an open session. His rejection of December 15, 2016 was done at an executive session, a move which generated criticisms and apparently prompted Senate’s decision to accept his nomination the second time.
Following divergent views on the rejection of Magu by the Senate and strident calls in some quarters on the President to re-nominate him or continue to keep him in acting capacity, Melaye, in a statement issued Saturday, urged the President to consider nominating a fresh candidate with the qualifications, experience, integrity, knowledge and temperament to head the EFCC.
“Those suggesting to the President that after failing to scale the confirmation process twice, the President should leave Magu to be acting, are only recommending violation of the law, disrespect for due process and perpetration of illegality. All these will only undermine democracy and constitutionalism in our country,” he said.
“Those drafters of the law who made the provision that the Senate should confirm the nomination of the EFCC chairman did not make any mistake and nobody should observe the law in the breach by getting a person into that office who has not been confirmed. Magu is not greater than the law creating EFCC. Magu is not the last messiah. He can’t be the only competent person for the job out of 170 million Nigerians. Should he voluntarily decline the appointment today, will EFCC fold up?”, Melaye queried.
Meanwhile, the Senate has formally communicated last Wednesday’s rejection of the nomination Magu as the substantive chairman of EFCC to President Buhari.
Our sources revealed last Saturday  that the correspondence to the President was signed by Senate President Bukola Saraki on Wednesday after the plenary where Magu was screened and rejected.
It was also gathered that the correspondence was handed to Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate) Matters, Senator Ita Enang, for onward delivery to the President last Thursday, March 16.
An impeccable source who did not want to be named told newsmen that votes and proceedings of Wednesday, March 15, 2017 were transmitted to the president in accordance with legislative practice.
“On the screening of EFCC nominee, Ibrahim Magu, the President of the Senate has sent a communication to President Muhammadu Buhari. In compliance with standard of legislative practice, the President of the Senate has forwarded the votes and proceedings of Wednesday to the president because the standard of legislative practice is that every request sent to the National Assembly by the president when completed, has to be reported back to the president,” the source said.
The source however, declined to state the exact date the transmission was made.
Last Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the presidency was yet to receive any communication on Magu’s rejection.
When contacted on the phone last night, Enang told newsmen that though there had been a communication between the Senate and the Presidency, he was not privy to the content of the letter. “Yes, there has been a communication between the Senate and the Presidency but the content there-of is privileged,” he stated.
Following his re-nomination by the President, Magu was screened last Wednesday but was again rejected by the senate, citing a second DSS report which showed that he “failed integrity test.”
Consequently, the Senate said Magu should henceforth cease to act as the commission’s chairman. It also advised Buhari to send the name of a fresh nominee to the parliament for consideration.
While announcing Magu’s first rejection on December 15, 2016, after about two hours of closed door meeting, Senate’s spokesman, Sabi Abdullahi, had cited unfavourable security report as the reason for Magu’s rejection.

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JAMB Registrar resolves over 5,000 pending complaints in five days

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The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina, has resolved more than 5,000 pending complaints within five days, in a bid to improve service delivery to candidates.

?This is disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the Acting Director, Public Affairs and Protocol, JAMB, Fabian Benjamin.

?Benjamin said the development followed Aina’s decision to strengthen the Board’s Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM) Unit to ensure the prompt resolution of outstanding complaints.

?He said the Registrar had relocated his seat to the SERVICOM Unit to gain first-hand knowledge of the nature of services being sought by candidates and other clients and to facilitate the resolution of pending cases.

?According to him, the move is in line with the Registrar’s Five Enduring Pillars, particularly the second pillar, “Service at Heart”.

He added that the Registrar’s move was to ensure his commitment to leveraging strategic communication to reposition the Board and deliver services commensurate with the fees paid by candidates.

?He noted that Aina had directed SERVICOM Desk Officers to address complaints holistically and promptly.

?Benjamin said the directive had already begun to yield positive results, with more than 5,000 pending and unresolved complaints addressed within five days.

?He said the complaints covered a wide range of issues, including difficulties in creating profile codes by candidates who had previously registered with telephone numbers to which they no longer had access.

?He added that biometric verification challenges were also addressed, including genuine cases of biometric failures encountered during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration or examination.

?He further said that the Registrar also scrutinised the operations of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), where issues relating to lost phones and SIM cards, candidates who converted from Direct Entry (DE) to UTME, and candidates omitted from the National Matriculation List after graduation were identified and addressed.

?He also noted that some previously unresolved payment-related issues were swiftly resolved, alongside complaints concerning inappropriate examination venues, e-PINs, technical challenges and difficulties with the uploading of documents.

?According to him, other recurring complaints relating to changes of name, date of birth, state and local government of origin were also addressed.

?The acting director said the initiative underscored the Registrar’s commitment to placing candidates and other clients at the centre of the Board’s operations.

?He said JAMB would continue to strengthen its complaint-resolution mechanisms to ensure that candidates received timely and efficient services.

 

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RIFF 2026: RIFF Takes Film Tourism To Bonny Island

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The Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) 2026 is set to make a significant impact on Nigeria’s creative and tourism landscape as filmmakers, industry professionals, cultural enthusiasts and international guests converge on the historic and culturally rich Bonny Island, Rivers State, for the fourth edition of the festival.

Scheduled to hold from 29 October to 1 November 2026, RIFF 2026 is expected to bring together creative talents from Nigeria and across the world for four days of film screenings, industry conversations, masterclasses, networking opportunities, cultural experiences and celebrations of cinematic excellence.

The festival is being organised around the theme, “Film Tourism: A Pathway to Economic Development,” highlighting the powerful relationship between the film industry, tourism and the wider creative economy. This is with the view to promote cultural preservation, youth empowerment and economic development.

Speaking on the forthcoming fourth edition of the festival, the founder, Rivers International Film Festival/National Chairman Film Festivals Association of Nigeria, Kate Ezeigbo, said that the efforts of RIFF in conjunction with the Rivers State Government have not gone unnoticed.

According to her, “The growing significance of the Rivers International Film Festival has received commendation from the Honourable Minister for Arts, Entertainment , Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who acknowledged the important role being played by the Rivers State Government and RIFF in advancing the creative sector.

The Minister stated: “I am aware that the Rivers State Government, backed by the Rivers International Film Festival, partnered with Entertainment Stakeholders, encourages the use of film and art for cultural preservation and youth empowerment. This really will make Nigeria the cultural and creative hub of Africa and Rivers State is taking a huge step in claiming that position.”

The commendation is seen as a major recognition of the festival’s vision and its commitment to using the creative industry as a vehicle for cultural development, youth engagement, tourism promotion and economic growth.

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147 structures to be affected by coastal highway service lane

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A total of 147 structures in Lagos will be affected by the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway service lane.

 

President Bola Tinubu made this known on Sunday at a stakeholder engagement  and flag-off of repair works on Eko Bridge and  Marine Bridge in Lagos, and the flooded section of Lagos- Ibadan Expressway.

 

The president said that, of the 147 structures, five would be cut fully and the others minimally.

Tinubu was represented by Lagos State Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The President noted that Eko Bridge was one of the oldest bridges constructed after Nigeria’s independence, adding that Marine Bridge  provided access to the seaports in Lagos State.

 

He urged Lagos State Government to remain on a trajectory of irreversible development in every nook and cranny of this state.

”Today, in particular, is a day on which we have had extensive stakeholder engagement. We are truly happy with the turnout,” he said.

 

Tinubu said that the Federal Government had undertaken extensive renovation works in Lagos State.

 

“As a government, we must acknowledge and appreciate the efforts that have been made. This is about recognising the real work on ground.”

He thanked the stakeholders, saying they had always turned out to discuss with the government anytime needed.

 

Tinubu praised the Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, for his efforts in road infrastructure development.

 

“For all of us to enjoy the full benefit of infrastructure, we have to shift a bit, so that it becomes an asset that will outlive all of us.”

 

He said that the stakeholder engagement was aimed at seeking support of the people toward implementation of the projects.

 

He gave the assurance that the Federal Government would make compensations where necessary.

 

“It will be given to you at the right time.

 

” There are days when we accept criticism for us to do better, but there are days when things have been done and they have been done right, and we need to give recognition and support where it is most deserving.

 

“It is my honour to flag off all of these projects to the benefit of mankind, to our citizens in Lagos, to the benefit of all our people across the country,” Tinubu said.

 

 

 

 

 

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