BY BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE
LAGOS — The first Attorney General of Lagos State, Mrs Hairat Balogun, Wednesday, said the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, ought to have been chaired by a legal practitioner of at least 20 years post qualification and not a retired judge.

“A judge who has retired at 70 years is not an ideal person to take up a fresh appointment. The job detracts from the status of a retired judge,” Mrs Balogun, said at the launch of her autobiography and book entitled “To serve in truth and justice,” in her honour in Lagos, yesterday.

The book launch was witnessed by the former Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan,  Justice Opeyemi Oke, Elder Simeon Olakunle, SAN, Ambassador Alakija, the Gbegando of Ososa, Dr. Tope Alatishe, among others.

Mrs Balogun restated her commitment to the anti-corruption crusade, adding that “the ICPC seemed to have brought out the worst corrupt tendencies rather than eradicate them.

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC appeared to have stolen all the limelight and is waging a much stronger war against corruption not just on economic crimes but on other issues perceived by it as corruption.”

According to her, herself and Chief Akin Delano, SAN, were once summoned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to his farm in Ota, over a weekend, for  input in the drafting of his (Obasanjo’s) first bill, which eventually became the ICPC Act (CAP C31 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria).