Senate Confirms Musa Aliyu As ICPC Chairman, Two Others For Judicial Commission

Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointment of Musa Aliyu as the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

The Red Chamber also confirmed the appointments of Gadji Dantata and Saka Suleiman as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, announced the confirmation of their appointments after they were cleared by a voice vote by senators at the plenary.

Aliyu, a lawyer and former Attorney-General of Jigawa State, was separately screened at the committee of a whole.

Responding to questions from senators, he assured that if he’s confirmed as the ICPC chairperson, his administration would be proactive in the fight against corruption, assuring that all assets found to be obtained through stolen funds will be handed over to the government.

“We need to be proactive in the fight against corruption. In the event it happens (corruption) – and it will happen,we have to make efforts to get assets traced to corruption and hand it over to the government or the victim of the crime.

“I lived in Malaysia for three years, I know how they look at us. There is a need for us to make efforts to change the narrative,” he stressed.

The new ICPC chairman, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN designate, also promised that his team at the agency would conduct proper investigation on corruption allegation issues and would be fair in taking decisions.

He said: “I want to assure you that I will live above board. We will not put people to shame unnecessarily. We will do proper investigations. I will be fair, firm, and humble.”

Dantata and Suleiman, during their own screening narrated their achievements in the private and public sectors.

The Deputy Senate President, however, directed that Mrs. Dantata ‘take a bow and go’ in order to “ensure gender sensitivity” in the screening process.

But some Senators asked Suleiman questions relating to his position as a member of the Federal Judicial Service Commission before he was directed to step out of the Senate chamber.