The Chairman Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice  Danladi Yakubu Umar  yesterday cried out to the  Senate Committee  on Anti- Corruption,  that the CCT is totally incapacitated to join the ongoing anti-corruption fight.

 The CCT boss explained to Senator Chukwuka G. Utazi, chairman of the Committee that  total lack of adequate  funding has crippled the Tribunal's itinerant sessions.

 He spoke  in Abuja when the committee visited him for their oversight and equally assesses the performance of 2015 budget as build 
up to 2016 appropriation for the Tribunal to perform optimally.

 Justice  Umar, unequivocally stated; ‘‘the greatest challenge facing the Tribunal at a moment is the near total lack of adequate funding  to cater for great deal of logistic to move the Tribunal from place to place to dispense justice.

 He added ‘‘the Tribunal requires not less than N4 million for one itinerant session alone" even as he maintains that  lack of funds especially from overheads is largely responsible for our inability to commence trial of quite a number  of cases from states and local government councils pending before the Tribunal at the moment’’.

 The Chairman affirmed that the Tribunal staff, files, vehicles and other item are required to physically move around from  State to State for the exercise and that has been  capital intensive.

 However, the Tribunal Chairman drew the attention of the Senate Committee on the need to place  the Tribunal as superior  court of record and, furthermore, increase increase the number of Judges for swift adjudications via constitutional amendment.

 He explained that  presently Code of Conduct Tribunal is under Presidency (Executive Arm). 
He maintained the Tribunal Carried out purely adjudicatory functions and the process of Chairman and Members are  the same as that of Judges Superior Courts through the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC)  to National Judicial Committee (NJC) then to the President for approval.

 He suggested that the provision relating to the Tribunal be transferred from the 5th Schedule to 
chapter VII of the constitution where other superior courts are listed.

 He equally suggested for amendment of the constitution to allow for increase in number of Judges of the Tribunal to reflect the six geo-political zones, to effectively and efficiently clear all cases within its  area of jurisdiction, given the present composition with only three man panel l to cover political and   career government functionaries across the entire tiers of governments.  

 In his remarks, the Chairman Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption, Senator  Utazi said the
 objective of the committee’s visit is to familiarize itself with problems hindering Tribunal’s performance  before the actual budget defence at the National Assembly.

 He said the Committee is interested in making the institution perform optimally not to witch-hunt anybody.

 He added that the movement of the court for itinerant session has to be discontinued by the Tribunal establishing  it presence across the geo-political zones of the country.

 He also urged  the CCT’s management to give more attention to publicity for its activities to be heard  all over the country via advocacy and media campaign to bring it to the consciousness of the public of the consequence of Code of Conduct infractions.