TheNewsGuru

Tag: Sagay

  • Sagay bitter over failure to influence CCT judgement against my boss – Saraki’s aide

    The Senate President’s senior adviser on new media, Bamikole Omisore has accused the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay of attempting to illegally influence the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) judgement against Saraki.

    Omisore who tagged the anti-corruption crusade led by Sagay as ‘Fighting corruption with Ilegality’ noted that the victory of Saraki at the CCT doesn’t seat well with PACAC chair.

    In a series of tweets he posted on his official Twitter handle, the Senate President’s media aide, accused Sagay of attempting to illegally influence the CCT judgement against Saraki.

    Buttressing his point, he also shared an audio tape which he claimed was the voice of Sagay, boasting that he made contact with the CCT judge as regards Saraki’s trial.

    Meanwhile, Prof Itse Sagay who is obviously frustrated with the Federal Government’s loss of anti-corruption cases in court, has gone beyond heaping the blames on the judiciary and National Assembly to extend it to the Presidency.

    Speaking at the weekend Sagay, blamed the Presidency for lack of diligence and thorough job on how to nail corrupt people, which he says, is part of why the government has continued to lose such cases.

    He added, “So, all this ‘arrangee’ between the judiciary, the legislators, and people are saying, ‘We don’t want the APC to be destroyed, Saraki is our own, let us settle our own, party supremacy is better’, we must moderate that.”

    Following the Senate President Bukola Saraki’s acquittal by the CCT and several other graft cases the Federal Government has lost, there have been concerns over the government’s dexterity in prosecuting such graft cases.

     

     

  • 2017 Budget: You can’t play both legislative, executive functions, Sagay blasts NASS

    …Says NASS members sees public funds as their ‘share of national cake’

    The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), on Sunday, blasted the National Assembly for daring to combine their roles as legislators with that of the executive.

    Sagay queried the power of the National Assembly to insert projects into the budget.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had, while signing the 2017 Budget into law last week, queried some “alterations” in the budget by the National Assembly.

    He said such alterations would affect the plans of the executive to execute the projects as designed from the beginning.

    However, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, had, in turn, rejected Osinbajo’s position, stating that the legislative arm of government had the powers to alter the budget.

    Sagay, however, argued that the National Assembly had no power to introduce any project into the budget.

    Speaking in Abuja at a programme organised by the National Association of Seadogs (the Pyrates Confraternity), the PACAC chairman said the legislative arm of government should not cross its bounds.

    Sagay stated, “I am amused that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House are saying that the acting President had no right to comment on this matter. They said they have all the powers.

    “The National Assembly has no power to create projects; it approves budgets. It is the government, the executive, that takes proposals for projects but this National Assembly does not get the message; it wants to be both legislature and executive at the same time.”

    He alleged that the National Assembly was largely to blame for the ineffectiveness of past budgets because the members placed their selfish interests ahead of the nation’s interest.

    The PACAC chairman added, “Even CNN reports that there are more private jets in Nigeria than commercial aircraft. The truth is that the overwhelming number of Nigerian elite see any funds voted or appropriated for any project as their share of the national cake.

    “The National Assembly itself sees the Nigerian national budget as its personal budget, its money to tinker with at will and then to leave something to the rest of us.

    “It is no surprise that Nigeria’s development remains stunted and misery and poverty remain overwhelming.”

    The House, however, insisted that it stood by its earlier position that the power of appropriation resided with the National Assembly.

    It also reminded Sagay that the acting President signed the budget into law, knowing that there were new projects inserted.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, told newsmen that the comments coming from the executive on the budget were “unnecessary.”

    Namdas stated, “We gave our position on this matter already and keep repeating it. The power of the purse, in a presidential democracy, resides with the legislature and Nigeria will not be different.

    “The acting President signed this same budget into law after studying it for several days. He knew there were additional projects and he signed. We have a law in place. Is it after the law has come into effect that they turn around to question the powers of the National Assembly?”

    However, Namdas advised the executive to approach the judiciary for the interpretation of the 1999 Constitution if it was in doubt over any of its provisions.

    “They are the ones asking questions. Let them go to court,” he added.

     

  • Recall of judges: NJC’s action not judicious – Sagay

    Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, Professor Itse, SAN, has faulted National Judicial Council (NJC) for recalling six suspended judges following raids on their houses last year by the Department of State Services (DSS).

    “The image of the judiciary is going to be severely damaged. So, I don’t think the NJC has used its discretion judiciously in this matter”, he declared.

    The NJC had noted that out of the six, only Justice N. S. Ngwuta of the Supreme Court, Justice A. F. A. Ademola of the Federal High Court and Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court had been charged to court.

    “The trial of Hon. Justice A. F. A. Ademola has been concluded and he has been discharged and acquitted of the charges filed against him.

    “In view of the foregoing, Council decided that the various heads of court should direct the following judicial officers to resume their judicial duties with effect from Wednesday June 7, 2017, as there are already a backlog of cases in their various courts for the past eight months: Hon. Justice John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Uwani Abba Aji of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Hydiazira A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice A. F. A. Ademola of the Federal High Court, who has been discharged and acquitted, Hon. Justice Musa H. Kurya of the Federal High Court, and Hon. Justice Agbadu James Fishim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.”

    Reacting, Sagay lamented that: “It is absolutely wrong to recall a judge whose case is ongoing. That is just my view. The matter has been filed and we don’t know what the outcome is going to be. If the outcome is negative for the judge, then he has to leave again, so it does not make sense.

    “Second, with regards to the other judges who were not charged, that is charges were not brought against them and that is why they were recalled, on principle, there is nothing wrong with that.

    “But I want to ask a question, before recalling them, did the NJC consult with the anti-corruption agencies and the DSS, that arrested them in the first place? If you didn’t consult the agencies (EFCC and DSS), it can result in an embarrassing situation. If you consult them and they say they are no longer interested in pursuing the cases, then you can recall them.

  • We’ll support media in anti-corruption war – Sagay

    Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption has expressed its readiness to cooperate with the media in the fight against corruption.

    Prof. Itse Sagay, the chairman of the committee, gave the assurance at the 12th Annual Ramadan Symposium organised by the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja.

    He advised the media to be more determined and focused in identifying and reporting corruption in the country.

    He also urged journalists not to be deterred, scarred or frustrated in exposing corrupt practice.

    Sagay also appealed to media outfits to give their employees a decent salary with a view to make them more ethical and professional.

    He emphasised the need for journalists to evolve the strategy and use of investigating journalism effectively.

    In his speech, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, said media practitioners had a great role to play in the ongoing fight to emancipate the country from corruption.

    Ribadu, therefore, cautioned the media to continuously rise up and resist attempt to desecrate the country, insisting that the media should be up against corruption in all forms.

    Alhaji Abdur-Rahaman Balogun, the chairman of Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, said the aim of the symposium was to support the ongoing anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    The theme of the symposium was “Anti-corruption: The Role of Media as a Change Agent.’’

     

     

    NAN

  • Release Dasuki, El-Zakzaky from unlawful detention now, Sagay tells Buhari

    The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has called on the Federal Government to obey court orders regarding the detention of embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); and the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky by releasing them without further delay.

    The senior advocate advised the Federal Government to either obey the court order by immediately releasing them or to appeal the orders.

    Sagay said this in an interview with The Punch.

    “The court orders should be obeyed and I don’t know what reason the government has for not releasing them. If they have good reasons, they should canvass the reasons before the court and leave the court to decide.

    “If the court rules against them, then they should appeal against the ruling and then apply for stay of the ruling pending the appeal. That is what the government should do rather than detaining them perpetually,” Sagay added.

    The PACAC chairman also agreed with the NBA regarding the prolonged probe of judges without trial.

    The NBA had, on Monday, asked the Federal Government to immediately stop the investigation of the judges so that they could return to work.

    Sagay, however, called on the government to wrap up the probe by prosecuting the judges immediately or by dropping the cases.

    He added, “The Federal Government should hurry up and if they cannot file the adequate charges, then they should inform the people involved and allow them to continue with their careers on the bench.”

    The PACAC chairman, however, disagreed with the NBA regarding the non-confirmation of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

    The association had called on the legislature and the executive to work out their differences, adding that Magu’s issue had made Nigeria a laughing stock among the comity of nations.

    Sagay argued that the NBA’s concern was misplaced as the President was empowered by the constitution to make some appointments without recourse to the Senate.

    He stated, “What makes Nigeria a laughing stock in the face of the world?

    “It is clear that the President can appoint an acting head of any of the agencies and that has been done. It is also clear from the terms of Section 176 of the Constitution that the President can appoint a person outright head, not even acting, without consulting anybody.

  • You can’t tell me what to say as Buhari’s appointee, Sagay blasts APC leaders

    You can’t tell me what to say as Buhari’s appointee, Sagay blasts APC leaders

    Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay, has said the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC cannot dictate what to say to him as an appointee of the President on matters of national importance.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the APC had in a statement on Wednesday warned Sagay, who had been engaged in war of words with the upper chamber of the National Assembly over a statement he made challenging the integrity of the lawmakers to stop his unsavoury comments henceforth.

    The party said the decision was part of moves to halt the deterioration in the relationship between the executive and the National Assembly.

    But according to Sagay, the party has no moral standing to tell him what to do since he was not and appointee of the party but Buhari’s.

    He further said that as far as he knows, his views have been in tandem with that of the President.

    Sagay who addressed journalists on Thursday in Abuja, reiterated his resolve to dishonour Senate’s summon, adding that the APC has started to obey evil.

    He said: “I am not an appointee of the APC. I don’t know where they thought they had the authority to tell me what I should do. I certainly will not honour it (Senate’s summons).

    “My view about what we are doing is in consonance with what the President is doing.

    “They (APC) are just compromising with evil. That is what the party is doing and they certainly will not get me to do that.

    “I will continue with the original programme of Buhari to get rid of corruption in this country. I will not compromise.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the National Assembly had summoned Sagay over the his ‘unguarded’ comments concerning the Senate.

    However, Sagay had insisted that the lawmakers lacked the powers to summon him.

  • Executive/Legislative faceoff: APC warns Sagay, other appointees to stop unsavoury comments

    Executive/Legislative faceoff: APC warns Sagay, other appointees to stop unsavoury comments

    The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, Itse Sagay, to henceforth recognize the independence of the National Assembly as a separate arm of government and henceforth put a stop to his unsavoury comments on its members.

    The party, in a statement on Wednesday, by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said its call is based on efforts being made to resolve the rift between the Executive and the National Assembly.

    Apart from Sagay, the APC also asked all government appointees to “stop making statements that may further worsen the relationship between the two arms of government and derail the Party’s effort to make peace”.

    The party on Wednesday said it acknowledges the fatherly role being played by President Buhari to resolve outstanding issues with the National Assembly, by setting up a high-level committee led by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

    “We believe the comments attributed to Prof. Sagay are uncalled for, regrettable and could further complicate the relationship between these vital arms of government.

    “Our expectation would be that as a Law Professor of repute, Prof. Sagay would appreciate the need to not denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the Executive, Legislature or Judiciary,” the party said.

    It also said as an appointee of the President, it expects the don to key into his principal’s temper and help him to make friends that would make his job easier and not make enemies of people who, by virtue of the position they occupy under the nation’s law, are critical to the running of government and the nurturing of democracy.

    The party said it objects to Sagay’s call on the Senate to withdraw invitation extended to him.

    “As someone appointed by our government, we find this kind of posturing unacceptable and potentially injurious to the peace efforts by the party.

    “The party wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed officials of our government to desist from utterances that may endanger efforts to build harmonious relationship between the two arms of government. Prof. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition,” the party said.

    The party also expressed happiness with the meeting it had with the Senate Caucus on Tuesday and said is confident that all the issues raised will be addressed. It also urged the National Assembly to further intensify its efforts to ensure timely passage of the 2017 budget.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Sagay had last week criticised the Senate for refusing to approve the 27 Resident Electoral Commissioner, RECs nominees sent by President Buhari.

    Sagay said the Senate would regret its decision to threaten the presidency.

    However, in a defence, the Senate said its decision is based on the president’s refusal to effect its recommendation on the removal of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

    The decision of the Senate did not go down well the Sagay hence his outburst against the Senate.

    The Senate however passed a resolution asking its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the comments made by Sagay.

    The Committee subsequently invited the PACAC chairman to appear before it.

    However, the Sagay on Tuesday wrote to Senate President Bukola Saraki asking him to direct the committee to withdraw its summon on him or he would sue them.

    Sagay said his criticism was anchored on Section 171(1) of the Constitution, which empowered the President to appoint any person to hold or act as head of any extra-ministerial department.

    He said though he was not served with any summons, he deemed it fit to join issues with members of the Senate on the violation of his fundamental right to freedom of expression.

    The rights, he said, were guaranteed by Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    He also said Section 88 of the Constitution under which the Senate purportedly summoned him is subject to other provisions of the Constitution, including Section 39, which guarantees freedom of expression.

     

  • Nigeria may lose another $550m ‘Abacha loot’ to U.S. – Sagay

    Nigeria may lose another $550m ‘Abacha loot’ to U.S. – Sagay

    Prof. Itse Sagay, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), on Thursday said Nigeria risk losing another 550 million dollars recovered from the Abacha family to the United States.

    Sagay disclosed this at a media conference on asset recovery jointly organised by PACAC and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora.

    “Nigeria presently stands to lose another 550 million dollars recovered from the Abacha family to the U.S., contrary to the earlier promise by the U.S. to return same to Nigeria,” he said.

    Sagay said the amount represented a separate tranche from the earlier 480 million dollars forfeited to the U.S. following a court judgment in August 2014.

    He said that the stringent conditions for repatriation being given by the countries in which some of the nation’s stolen wealth was stashed contradicted the earlier promises made.

    He expressed concern at the country’s challenges in the tracing, seizure, forfeiture and return of Nigeria’s assets laundered outside the country.

    According to Sagay, the challenges include stringent conditions and other uncooperative attitude of the countries in possession of the stolen funds.

    “Out of the Abacha loot for instance, Switzerland seized over 505.5 million dollars between 2004 and 2006.

    “The UK recovered 2.7 million dollars from Alamieyeseigha’s account in London in 2005.

    “Alamieyeseigha’s home and other real estate as at 2005 was estimated at over 15 million dollars,’’ Sagay said.

    Also speaking at the parley, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, called for the unconditional return of Nigeria’s looted fund.

    Dabiri-Erewa, who said asset recovery was different from asset returning, decried the uncooperative attitude of the countries where the stolen funds were being stashed.

    “America has over 400 million dollars that have been officially recovered as stolen funds from Nigeria.

    “But America is keeping the funds, they are telling us about technicalities; they are saying we recovered doesn’t mean we can return.

    “We want every Nigerian in Diaspora, friends of Nigeria, to join this committee in demanding that every Nigeria’s stolen fund recovered in any part of the world should be returned to Nigeria,” she said.

    According to her, the person who steals is just as guilty as the person who keeps stolen funds.

    “The person who steals is a criminal; the person who keeps known stolen funds is also liable.

    “You can’t give us aid of one billion dollars and keep one billion dollars of funds you have recovered from Nigeria.

    “So we will join the committee to embark on an advocacy with Nigerians outside the world to appeal to these nations to do everything possible to return what belongs to Nigeria,”she said.