Anti-corruption agencies’ merger to receive priority in 2008 - Speaker

Shola Adekola, Lagos - 27.12.2007

The recent Federal Government’s declaration to merge the anti-corruption agencies, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) will be among the top issues to be debated at the National Assembly in the New Year.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, said this while speaking with airport correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed airport, Lagos, on Wednesday.

Bankole, who said his position on the issue must tally with that of the House, added that whatever the House committee on anti-corruption recommended would be debated.

“My position will be the position of the House. The House will discuss it,we have committees on anti-corruption that will take care of that and they will recommend and we will debate on it, we will also act on it and that will be the position of the house. Until then, l don’t have any position,” he said.

Bankole, who said the lawmakers did not have the intention of heating up the polity in House, added their priority would be to pass the budget.

“For now, we don’t have any intention of heating up the polity in the House, the intention that we have in the House is to pass the budget. We will persuade, we will coerse, talk to who we have to talk to until that information is given to us, then we will pass the budget on time,” he also said.

Reacting to the speculations on the alleged planned impeachment of the Senate President and the Deputy Speaker, Bankole, though said he was not a soothysayer, promised that the lawmakers would do their best leaving Nigerians and their colleagues to judge.