BY BEN AGANDE & INALEGU SHUAIBU
ABUJA — The Senate, yesterday, rejected President Goodluck Jonathan’s nominee for the chairmanship of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Matters Commission, Justice Pius Olayiwola Aderemi, following a recommendation by its Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption that the nominee will not be able to perform his functions “optimally.”

Submitting the report of the committee upon which the Senate based its rejection, Chairman of the committee, Senator Sola Akinyede, said in the course of its screening of the nominee, “he was not able to answer questions to the satisfaction of the committee members.”

According to the senator, “he (the nominee) was asked some questions relating to his views on what the public and some members of the committee see as the unimpressive performance of the ICPC since its inception and what he intends to do to improve the commission if he is confirmed as the chairman. He was not able to answer these questions to the satisfaction of the committee. He was also unable to answer satisfactorily questions relating to the global dimensions on anti-corruption.”

Akinyede noted that as a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, the integrity of the nominee is not in doubt but “the committee has serious concerns about the capacity and ability of the nominee to meet the demands of the job.

“The retirement age in the public service is 60 years. In the case of the justices of the court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, the retirement age is 70 years. By the time most people are 70years of age, their energy, drive, productivity, vibrancy and adaptability to cope with a job as rigorous and demanding as that of the head of an anti_ corruption agency (especially in a country as a large Nigeria where corruption is a serious problem) is virtually gone.

“While the job of a justice of the Supreme court is mostly mental with little or no administrative content, the position of the chairman of ICPC is not only mentally and physically demanding, it requires a lot of dynamism, travelling and exercise of authority over the decision of the over 500 staff members scattered in the commission’s 14 offices all over the country.

He has to be up to date with the activities of various arms and levels of government including the 774local government, as well as ministries and departments.

“It is the view of the committee that the ICPC is an institution in dire need of focus, repositioning and effectiveness. The committee believes that a person over the age of 70 years will be unable to perform this task optimally. The committee also believes that Nigeria should learn from the examples in other parts of the world and ensure global best practices” the committee recommended.

In a comparative analysis of similar anti corruption agencies world wide, the committee noted that ‘the immediate past head of the United Kingdom anti corruption and anti crime agency_ Serious and Organized crime Agency sir Williams Hughes was appointed at the age of 53 and resigned last year at the end of 60.

“Robert Meuller, the current Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is presently 66 years old. He was appointed at the age of 57 years in 2001.

“Timothy Tong the current head of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong was appointed at the age of 57. In south Africa, the Anti corruption agency consists of two stream: criminal Corruption is headed by the National Director of Public prosecution Mr Menzi Simelane aged 40 years, while the head of Public Protection responsible for Ethics and code of conduct investigation particularly in the public service Mr Mandonsela is 48 years old.

“Why should the head of an anti corruption agency in a country as large as Nigeria where corruption has become a contagion be a person that the law regards as too old to be a public servant, (retirement age 60), too old to be a high court Judge or university professor (retirement age 65), and too old to be a justice of the supreme court (retirement age 70 years)? By the time this nominee is nearing the end of his five year term, he will be nearer 80 years that 70 years of age” he said.

While contributing to the debate, the Deputy President of the senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu noted that ‘if somebody has served the nation for up to the age of 70 years, ‘we should give our younger generation an opportunity to serve. The office needs a vibrant young man’ he said.

Senator Olorunimbe Mammorah decried the appointment of old people into various sensitive position pointing out that ‘we are not practicing gerontocracy. Until and unless the legislature begins to do what it is supposed todo, we will not have good governance’.

Senator Nimi Baraigha_Amange in his contribution was philosophical pointing out that although age cannot be a barrier to getting appointed to any position, ‘there is a time to work and a time to retire’.

Senators Ndoma_Egba and James Manager in their contributions argued that by refusing to confirm the man, the senate would be discriminating against him ‘on the basis of age’.

“Age can only be a barrier if it is under age. It cannot be because of over age. There is no medical report indicating that he is not fit to occupy this office” senator James Manager said.