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There was drama on Thursday as members of the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Anti-Corruption and Commerce watched with mouths wide opened as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria ICAN and the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria ANAN and other stakeholders tackle each other over the propriety of a proposed institute believed is a duplicate of Bill already passed by both Chambers.
The two bodies at a public hearing on the passage of the Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Examiners of Nigeria Bill 2021 had expressed divergent views on the propreity of the new fraud examiners institute leading to almost a brawl by some of the lawmakers.
Initially, ICAN had expressed the view that the passage of the Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Examiners Bill 2021 is unnecessary as a similar bill-the Chattered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Bill 2021 had been passed by the the two chambers of the apex parliament.
ICAN’s Deputy President Dr. Innocent Uzor who canvassed the position of the institute at the hearing said that the training being proposed in the new bill had been undertaken by the forensic department of the accounting body.
He further said that forensic is primary duty of the professional body and the forensic department had already entered into partnership with the Nigerian Police Academy Wudil to achieve their objectives in the fight against corruption.
Also speaking at the hearing, the Association of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria ANAN said that bill on the proposed institute should be passed adding that forensic is multidiscpinary in nature.
Chairman of the Chattered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Examiners of Nigeria Dr. I B Gashinbaki who canvassed this positoon of ANAN had said that the belief that forensic is only for accountants is a misnomer.
He argued that the opposition by ICAN to the bill at the public hearing is a purely a mischief and the passage of the bill is an accelerated approach to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
He said, ” not until the private sector get involved in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, we ‘ll remain where we are”.
However, the Protem President of the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Professionals of Nigeria Dr. Mrs Enabe Victoria said that that the new bill is a duplication of the investigative professional institute enabling law that had been passed into law by the two chambers of the National Assembly.
She pointed out that having two chartered institutes to regulate the practice of forensic science in the country would lead to role conflict and clash of interest and added that it would not augur well in the overall interest of the county.
She also said that the passage of the bill is tantanmount to abuse of the legislative process, practice and procedure as parliament had hitherto passed a bill on the same matter as the proposed bill is seeking to enact.
The passage of the new institute of fraud examiners bill she insisted would make mockery of the entire legislative process before all Nigerians and the international communities and the onus lies on the parliament to jettison the proposed law.
As the the debate went on Hon.. Uzoma Nkem Abonta (Ania, PDP) raised a point of order saying that the debate of the bill is a waste of legislative man hour as a similar bill had been passed by the House.
He wanted to speak further when the Co-chairman to the joint committee Hon. Femi Fakeye ruled him out of other and allowed another committee member Hon. Danchung Bagos (Plateau, PDP) to speak and he spoke in favour of the bill.
This led to almost a brawl as Hon. Abonta also insisted that his views must be heard and upheld and continued to shout ‘point of order’, point of order’ Mr chairman.