(Tribune / Nigeria) — The bill seeking an amendment of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Act scaled second reading in the Senate on Thursday.
It was subsequently committed to the Committee on Judiciary for further legislative action.
Sources in the Senate indicated that the bill could be passed before the end of the month if the committee completed its task promptly.
The bill, entitled: “A Bill for an Act to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 1991 and for other related Matters, 2016,” aims to, among others, remove the Bureau from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)
The bill, sponsored by Senator Peter Nwaboshi, was first introduced on the floor of the Senate on April 12, 2016.
Senator Nwaboshi, in his lead debate, explained that the bill sought to amend Section (3) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, to give every public officer appearing before the Bureau fair hearing, as provided for under Section 36(2)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
The lawmaker noted that the proposed amendment altered Subsections 3(b) and 3(c) to give fair hearing, equity and justice to every public officer invited to appear before the Bureau, in line with the constitutional provisions.
He stated that the amendment was seeking to completely delete the Third Schedule of the Principal Act, because the Act did not contemplate criminal trial of an invited public officer.
Almost all the contributors supported the bill, saying that the amendment was long overdue, in view of the fact that the Principal Act was subject to abuse.
But Senator Yahaya Abdullahi cautioned the Senate to be wary of the public opinion on the amendment, because of the current trial of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, noting that the proposal was ill-timed.
“I rise just to raise a point of caution. I have read and gone through the areas where the amendment are sought and I am not against it, but what I have against is the timing.
“We must be ready on the issue of public perception about the position of the Senate in this regard. Perception can be reality, the Nigerian people can easily interpret the action we are taking today to mean that for all these years, a decree which became law since 1991 is not being challenged until today that our principal officer is standing before the same tribunal.
“We have nothing against the content and the philosophy and the values that my friend, Peter Nwaboshi, is bringing, because it enhances fairness for all public officers.
“I used to be a public officer. I retired as a federal permanent secretary. If I were treated the way our principal was being treated, I would not have been so treated in a better manner.
“I think for the credibility of this Senate, I think we should re-examine whether the timing is right for this bill to go through the second reading,” he said.
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, disclosed that the bill had nothing to do with Saraki’s trial and was not intended to interfere in any way with the process at the CCT, adding that the bill, if passed into law, would not have retrospective effect, and, therefore, should not be misinterpreted to be intended to truncate or meddle with Saraki’s trial.
“Let me just say that this bill absolutely has nothing to do with the proceedings going on at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in which the Senate President is involved, because his trial has commenced as you are aware.
“If you look at the commencement of the bill, the last paragraph says ‘this bill may be cited as a Code of Conduct Bureau Tribunal Act amendment bill, 2016.’ That means that the bill is not being made retroactively as to affect the proceedings at the Code of Conduct Tribunal; certainly it has nothing to do with it.
“We are only doing our work as a parliamentarians and it is our responsibility to ensure that there is justice for all at all times, and we must not be afraid or scared to the job which the constitution has given us,” he said.
