In a surprise move which he termed “efforts to build institutions”, the President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki has visited the new office complex of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
There has been no love lost between the 8th Senate and the EFCC especially as it concerns the confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
The Senate rejected the appointment of Magu as the Chairman of the commission over allegations of corruption by the Department of State Security (DSS). However the executive had insisted on not substituting Magu while he (Magu) continues to allege that some members of the senate are corrupt.
However, in a surprise move, Saraki went on an inspection tour of the headquarters of the commission.
Speaking to newsmen after the inspection, he said that will continue to support efforts to build and strengthen the nation’s institutions irrespective of any differences.
He said that he was particularly impressed by the quality of work done and the fact the building was designed by a Nigerian architect.
He said he is duty bound to visit the completed project as part of his oversight functions in view of the contributions of the National Assembly to its realization.
The Senate’s President said that the nation must continue to build institutions as well as strengthen existing ones to realize its dream of becoming a great democratic country.
“I think the most important thing as far as we are concerned is that I have always said that we must always continue to build institutions and that is what is important and we must continue to support in building these institutions.
“If we are going to build a better society in our country, one of the main things we must tackle is the issue of corruption and how we can do that is by strengthening these institutions.
“My presence here is to say that whatever we do in our job, the most important thing is that we all represent institutions and we must work and see that it is in the interest of the country.
“So my presence here is, after a building like this where the National Assembly has played a great role, it must be my responsibility to see how the money was spent and I can see that that has been done properly and we should continue to work together to see that that goes well for the entire country.
“If you look at most projects in Abuja, I don’t think any project like this has been well-funded and that shows that despite all the noise you will hear, the National Assembly has supported where it matters because this is where it matters and I think we have done that.
“If you look at what has been achieved in the last two and half years in putting this building up and bringing it to completion, I think it is a remarkable achievement,” he said.
“As the head of the legislature, I have responsibilities that goes beyond whatever issues there may be. You see, you guys in the media like to hype things. The most important thing is that we must always do the right thing.
“We might disagree on what those right things are but at the end, we must ensure that we build institutions, we support institutions and do what is right and we must continue to do that,” he said.
Saraki said that the fight against corruption must continue in order to bequeath a better future to both present and coming generations.
He insisted that there was no way Nigeria can be built if corruption is not fought to the barest minimum.
“I have always said that my own strong will is that as we fight it, we must fight it in ensuring that we strengthen the institutions and what you see here is part of the process of strengthening that institutions so that whoever comes here will know that this is what we must fight if we want to build institutions,” he said.
NAN
