Senate President, David Mark on Thursday said the Senate would assist all anti-corruption agencies in their quest to effectively tackle head-on all issues of corruption in the country.
Mark, who gave the assurance when members of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) visited him in Abuja, said that the agencies needed to rise to the occasion to fight corruption.
Although Mark said that both the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had clearly defined roles by the Acts establishing them, “the issue of corruption needs the collaborative efforts of all well-meaning Nigerians to tackle the menace.
“The challenge before all of us is that Nigeria and Nigerians have been tagged names synonymous with corruption. We must do more of enlightenment to reduce corruption and possibly eradicate it, so that we can remove this toga of corruption hanging on us,” he said.
Mark reminded the ICPC and EFCC that it was easier to prevent corruption than to prosecute offenders and cautioned against giving attention to frivolous petitions.
“You know that there are professional petition writers. They even have signboards. We must be wary of them, but you must address genuine petitions and prosecute where necessary.”
Earlier, the acting chairman of the ICPC, Dr Rose Wushishi, had said that the commission, properly established by the law, operated within the ambit of the law and would continue to follow the rules of the game in the discharge of its duties.
She promised that the ICPC would tackle corruption head-on, to ensure that “the society is free of the menace”, adding that “we are committed to fighting corruption and we shall not compromise standards.”
Meanwhile, Mark has urged the Sheik Ahmed Lemu-led investigation panel on the April 2011 post-election violence, to fish out the perpetrators of the unrest as an antidote to the matter.
Mark made the appeal when the panel visited him in Abuja on Thursday.
He said, “No matter what we do, if the masterminds or sponsors are not brought to book, we will not achieve any result.
“Nobody or group of people is bigger or greater than Nigeria. There should be no sacred cows. No one is above the law.
“We must fish out the perpetrators and apply appropriate sanctions to serve as a deterrent to others.”
Mark, however, advised the panel to be fair, just, honest and firm, saying, “Your report will be taken seriously if it meets the standard of objectivity, fairness and balance.
“We must get it right this time; it is not to pass blame. We must say the truth and find lasting solutions to this avoidable menace.
“We are all stakeholders in the Nigerian project and we must collectively resolve this matter and uphold the sanctity of our unity as a nation.” (NAN)
He said public office seekers should take politics as a call to service and not as a game of life or death.
Earlier, Sheik Lemu had said that the 22-man panel, divided into the three sub-groups, had visited sites affected in the violence and would meet stakeholders to get their input into the reports.
Similarly, the Senate president charged the Nigeria Police to rise to the challenge of the lack of security in the country, saying that the times called for hard work and sacrifice in the interest of the nation.
Mark made the appeal when he received the Police Affairs minister, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade and top officers of the ministry in Abuja.
He challenged the police, urging them to “do something positive that would redeem your battered image before the public,” saying that the challenge looked enormous but was surmountable.
The minister sought the assistance of the Senate to address the lack of security, bomb blasts, kidnapping, armed robbery and extra judicial killings.
Olubolade requested for more support in terms of equipment, logistics and improved funding, to enable the police perform their duties properly.