At Ministerial Screening, Fagbemi Chides DSS over Handling of Corruption Cases

•Advocates unbundling of EFCC, ICPC, says FG’ll obey court orders 

•Alake pledges press freedom, social media regulations  

•Oyetola, Lalong, Matawale, Bagudu, Geidam, 14 others make Tinubu’s second ministerial list

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and ministerial nominee, Lateef Fagbemi, yesterday, faulted the Department of State Services (DSS) over the agency’s handling of graft cases.

Fagbemi, who stated this when he appeared before the Senate to answer questions on what he planned to do if President Bola Tinubu makes him Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, however, advocated the unbundling of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Financial Crimes Commission (ICPC).

Another nominee, Mr Dele Alake, during screening, said the federal government needed to regulate the activities of the social media practitioners, even as he promised press freedom.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of five former governors and 14 others as ministers.

The governors were Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), and Solomon Lalong (Plateau).

Others were Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo (Kano), Dr Bosun Tijani (Ogun), Dr Maryam Shetty (Kano), Isiak Salako and Tunji Alausa (Lagos), Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu (Kebbi), Shuaibu Abubakar Audu (Kogi) and Lola Ade John (Lagos).

Also on the list were Prof Tahir Mamman (Adamawa), Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger) Senator Alkali Ahmed Saidu (Gombe), Senator Heineken Lokpobori (Bayelsa), Uba Maigari Ahmadu (Taraba)  and Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo (FCT).

But Fagbemi, while speaking, expressed reservation over the manner in which the secret police and the anti-graft agencies were fighting corruption in the country.

“We fight corruption but the way it’s being fought leaves much to be desired. That is the truth. The anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Financial Crimes Commission should be brought together and then unbundled,” he said.

According to him, the bodies should be under direct supervisor of the AGF instead of carrying out independent investigations and prosecution without recourse to the minister of justice.

“Investigation should not be handled by the same body. There must be a supervisory authority within the same system. If there is investigation, another body should handle it while prosecution should be the business of another body.It does not augur well to ask the same authority to investigate and prosecute.

“We are also not patient enough. Investigation takes time, especially serious corruption cases. Investigation should be thorough. You can take time to prosecute. The DSS should do its investigation before arrest instead of making arrest before investigation,” he said.

On the disobedience to court order, he said, “There is no government, especially the head who will want to joke with the judiciary. Where we have disobedience to court orders are between security agencies.

“My advice will be, in matters of law, the Attorney General should be involved. DSS cannot be an island onto itself. EFCC cannot continue to behave as if there is no law. There is law. If you want to do investigation, you do investigation before inviting the accused person,” he added.

Alake, on his part, explained that, “The social media has two sides, positives and negatives. The positive side is instance news, quick information dissemination and faster communication. The down side is so detrimental to good and decent society.

“What I will support is the strengthening of regulations. In my times as editor, I discover that there are laws that guide our conduct in every area of human endeavours but application of these laws has been very short.

“Even victims of libel and defamation and all kinds of negative things hesitate to also apply the laws against the culprit. The most important thing for an editor is to avoid litigation. The victims don’t apply the full weight of these laws when there is infraction by any medium, whether social or conventional media.

“So, I will recommend strengthening of our regulations and their application. It is not just to enact laws; they must also be tested. It is from testing that that we will know the efficacy and efficiency of those regulations.”

Addressing press freedom, he said, “I was a practitioner and I am still a practitioner and I subscribe to the aphorism in journalism that once a reporter, you are a reporter for life.

“So, the ideals, the tenets, the principles , I am one of those who uphold it and will uphold it seriously, assiduously with every sinew in my veins to make sure that press freedom is sustained in this country.

“However, to every privilege,  there are responsibilities and I am not advocating for absolute press freedom without responsibility.

“I have the cause to say to some group of media men just a few days back that those of us who are gatekeepers: Editors, News Editors and all that have an onus on them to regulate whatever comes out for the sanity of our society, because information is power.

“When information is irresponsibly published, it can lead to cataclysmic effect, destruction, chaos, social upheaval in the society. So, I am very, very vehement about the responsibility aspect of the Press and I will uphold it till the very last atom of my breath.”

Meanwhile, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, later prevented Alake from reciting the second stanza of the National Anthem.

Alake was asked by the Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwom, to recite the second stanza of the National anthem after taking the nominee up on his old social media post.

“I read a statement where you labeled some particular party as wild dogs, selling blood online. Are you aware of that statement? Did you say that?

“As someone who will be the image maker if eventually appointed by Mr President as the Minister of Information of this country, we are supposed to be conversant with our National Anthem.

“Mr President, if you would allow me, I will like for the nominee to recite the second stanza of the National anthem,” Mwadkwom said,

But Akpabio and the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele shielded the nominee from answering any of the questions. 

Specifically, the Senate President said campaigns were over, stressing that nominees were supposed to tell the senate what they would bring to the table and not to sing songs.

This, nonetheless, the names of the new ministerial nominees were contained in a list submitted to Akpabio by the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Akpabio said screening of the new nominees would start Friday, August 4.