Some civil society groups working in the area of transparency and good governance have urged the Senate to confirm the appointment of Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to the groups, the confirmation of Magu will insulate the commission from undue interference and guarantee its independence.

In a statement in Abuja, the civil groups wondered why the Senate has not conducted the confirmation exercise months after the Presidency transmitted a letter to that effect.
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The statement was signed by Debo Adeniran of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders(CACOL); Lanre Suraju – Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC); Adetokunbo Mumuni – Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project(SERAP); David Ugolor – Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ); Okey Nwanguma – Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN); Faith Nwadishi – Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria; and Oluajo Babatunde of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA).

They maintained that the guarantee of security of tenure of anti-corruption agencies’ officials is at the root of the independence, effective functioning and freedom from undue influence as prescribed by article 6(2) of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) of which Nigeria is a signatory.