Corruption: Senate seeks adequate funds for CCT

Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, has advocated adequate funds for the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT to enable it adjudicate on corruption related cases.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure (PDP Ondo Central) had during the 2022 budget defence of CCT bemoaned its meagre appropriation, wondering how the Tribunal couldn’t be funded enough like other anti-corruption agencies in the country.

Senator Akinyelure, who insisted that budget envelope was too small for effective operation of CCT, noted that the All Progressives Congress, APC has a core agenda of tackling corruption which the Tribunal was strategic.

The lawmaker wondered how the Tribunal that was supposed to serve the entire country with public officers working in over 900 agencies of government could be so underfunded at a time that erring public servants should be made to account for their deeds.

He said: “You must determine all the cases referred to you and let Mr. President know that you are promoting his anti corruption agenda.

“Your silence over the meagre allocation to your agency to fight corruption is not good enough for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Senator Akinyelure went further: “The CCT needed more resources to deliver and under Ahmed Lawan’s Senate Presidency, we want to work in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to work significantly before his term ends, for the country to be handed to another democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He, therefore, asked the CCT chairman, Justice Danladi Umar to submit a request demanding for more resources with a proof of what they want to procure that would aid the workings of the Tribunal in 2022 fiscal year for approval.

The position of the committee was opposed to reports in some media outlets that it carpets CCT for alledgedly ignoring corruption cases forwarded to it by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.

According to the document submitted to committee, the sum of N232 million was appropriated to CCT in 2021 out of which N174.2m was released.

In his presentation, Justice Umar had told the Senate committee that 257 cases were referred to CCT, out which 57 have been treated with 30 concluded.

He maintained that there was no judgement debt liability occassioned by his court sittings as he has been strictly following due process in adjudicating on cases brought before it by the CCB.

The CCT chairman, according to a statement issued at the weekend in Abuja by the Tribunal spokesperson, Atekojo Samson Usman, explained the challenges of under-funding, saying that it is the only court in Nigeria that sits and determine cases with its nationwide jurisdiction.

“We have not been able to deal with all the cases referred to us due to underfunding. The CCT is only one body and we have to go to different places in the country.

“If we have other division of the Tribunal in the six geo-political zones, it will reduce the enormity of our work here in Abuja. We cannot be everywhere,” Justice Umar stressed.

The statement maintained that neither the Senate panel nor CCB accused CCT of ignoring corruption cases referred to it as portrayed in some section of the media.