The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, has said that the Executive Order 006 which was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari is the most potent tool in the nation’s fight against corruption.
The minister said this at a briefing in Lagos on Sunday, adding that those who claim that the signing of the order is unconstitutional, may not have a good knowledge of what it entails.
According to him, the President issued the order in accordance with the power vested in him under Section (5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
He said, “there are many reasons why Nigeria has been struggling.
“Regrettably, the most unfortunate cause of the great disparity between Nigeria’s wealth and its poverty is endemic corruption.
“Now the question is this, is the executive order Number 6 unconstitutional as those opposed to it have claimed? the answer is no, it is not unconstitutional.
“The President has the power under section 5 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which extends to the execution and maintenance of the Constitution, all laws made by the National Assembly, including but not limited to Section 15 (5) of the Constitution to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power”.
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Making reference to past Presidents such as Shehu Shagari and Olusegun Obasanjo, the Minister went further to explain that President Buhari “is not the first democratically elected president to issue executive orders.
The President signed the order on July 5, at the Council Chambers, in Abuja, the nation’s capital, with some of the cabinet members in attendance.
It seeks to restrain owners of assets under investigation from carrying out any further transaction on such assets.
But in a motion sponsored by Hon. Nicholas Ossai, and supported by 27 other lawmakers on Wednesday, they claimed that the order appears to usurp and hijack their legislative and judicial powers.