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Nwabueze canvasses overhaul of CCB, CCT, anti-graft agencies

By Ibe Uwaleke, Bertram Nwannekanma and Godwin Dunia
18 March 2016   |   1:42 am
Constitutional lawyer and former Minister of Education, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, has advocated a total overhaul of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ...
Nwabueze

Nwabueze

Constitutional lawyer and former Minister of Education, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, has advocated a total overhaul of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the call was auspicious in view of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to fighting corruption, noting that a complete change in personnel, attitude, operations and practices of these agencies and institutions was desired.

Nwabueze maintained that if the original intentions of creating these codes and anti-graft agencies had been followed to the letter, corruption would have long been wiped out from Nigeria, saying every provision was meant to checkmate any misconduct of public servants.

He described the current practice of some of the anti-graft agencies as nothing but a promotion and perpetration of corruption as their approach to the war ends with naming and shaming, handcuffing, crackdown on administration’s opponents and media trial, without following due process that ensures observance of the rule of law.

Condemning the downplay of the item, ‘verification’ as contained in the CCB Act, Nwabueze said its non- application was responsible for the growing corruption in the land as the Act requires the Bureau to employ the services of experts to conduct verification for every declaration made as contained in the forms presented by public servants.

The renowned senior lawyer, who was chairman of one of the seven sub-committees of the 49-member Constituent Assembly of 1976 that mooted the legislation, expressed happiness that the case of Senate President, Olusola Saraki, at the CCT had brought it the misnomer to the attention of Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the professor is to launch the “Ben Nwabueze Centre for Studies in Constitutional Law and Related Subjects” next Thursday ahead his 85th birthday on June 9.

His daughter, Adaeze Nwabueze, is to head the non-governmental and non-partisan organisation as its executive director.

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