No fewer than 50 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are pushing for the passing of bills by the National Assembly, to create more avenues to fight corruption in Nigeria. Such bills are on Proceeds of Crime – POCA, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Center- NFIC, Whistle Blowers Protection and Mutual Legal Assistance Bill
Executive Director, Media Initiative against Injustice, Violence and Corruption-MIIVOC, Dr. Walter Duru told news men in Calabar, capital of Cross River state today, Tuesday that all the CSOs have scheduled a meeting in Abuja from November 3 to 4 to discuss issues relating to the strengthening of the legal framework against corruption in Nigeria.
Top on the agenda of the meeting is the consideration of strategies in advocating for the transmission and passage of: the Proceeds of Crime – POCA, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Center- NFIC, Whistle Blowers Protection and Mutual Legal Assistance Bills by the National Assembly.
Dr. Walter Duru said that the bills are central to the country’s anti-graft war, adding that the bills are what Nigeria needs for the anti-corruption war to be effectively fought and won.
“Recall that Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami promised Nigerians that the present Federal Government is committed to the passage of the bills. During the annual Conference on Financial Fraud, Cyber Crime and Cross Border Crimes, held in Abuja in February, 2016, the Attorney General, in his keynote address assured Nigerians that the bills will be transmitted to the National Assembly as Executive bills and eventually passed, while announcing that the Mutual Legal Assistance and Money Laundering bills were already transmitted. Till date, nothing appears to be happening in the case of the rest of the bills and nobody is saying anything to the citizens. It is obvious that some enemies of the country are working round the clock to ensure that they are not passed. The primary essence of the meeting is to review the situation and agree on steps to be taken to ensure that those that have roles to play live up to their responsibility.” [myad]
