Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federal (AGF), has said that his office was not craving for more powers to weaken the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and have more control of the agencies under its supervision.
The denial follows media reports on Sunday that Malami was pushing to weaken the powers of the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a new bill.
It was learnt that the bill was proposed weeks after the suspended acting EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu, who had accused Malami of frustrating the President’s anti-corruption war.
The proposed law will require the director-general to be appointed by the President based on the recommendation of the AGF and subject to confirmation by the Senate.
However, speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Sunday Politics, Malami disclosed that it was only the National Assembly that has legislative powers to expand its control over agencies under it.
“The legislative function is vested in the National Assembly and by way of further expansion, the office of the Attorney-General is by no means craving for further powers with institutions, agencies under its supervision,” Malami said.
The AGF further said such powers would be useless when it does not conform to the law and existing legislation of the National Assembly.
He stressed that the office of the AGF was satisfied with the constitutional provision that gives it enough powers, on the supervisor role of the agencies under it.
“When in a constitutional term, the powers are vested in the National Assembly even when you have the powers, I wonder what relevance the additional powers would be for you, if it is inferior to the constitutional provision,”
“The office of the Attorney-General is happy and content with the constitutional provision that gives it enough powers as far as the supervisor role of the agencies.”
“The office of the Attorney-General knows that the power to amend the law is vested in the National Assembly and not the Attorney-General,” he added.
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