Reps move to separate CCB from Presidency . …want bureau to sack offending officials
A law is underway from the House of Representatives to remove the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, on the list of agencies under the Presidency.
The proposed law, sponsored by James Abiodun Faleke (Lagos-APC), and exclusively obtained by National Mirror yesterday, seeks to amend Section 254 and some subsections, to effect the transfer of powers.
“This Bill seeks to further alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), among other things, to transfer the provisions relating to the Code of Conduct Tribunal from the Fifth Schedule to Chapter Seven (Judicature) of the Constitution.
“In order words, the Code of Conduct Tribunal will now be moved from being under the Executive arm of government, to be properly placed under the Judicial arm of government, where it rightly belongs,” the Explanatory Memorandum of the Bill reads.
Other highlights of the bill are retirement age, mode of appointment of Chairman of CCB, tenure of the chairman of CCB, and the power of the bureau to sack public officers from office.
The House seeks to peg the retirement age of any chairman of the CCB at 70, and seeks the appointment of such chairman of the agency to be done by the President with recommendation and approval of the Senate.
The president earlier exercises the sole responsibility of appointing the chairman.
The bill also seeks to confer on the National Assembly powers to legislate on the tenure of the head of the CCB, but however includes a rather controversial proposal to include powers of the board to sack any public office holder who fails to declare their assets or offends the authority of the board in any way.
The proposed law however allows for the decisions of the CCB to be appealed.