3rd July, 2011
Mrs. Farida Waziri, the Chairman of the EFCC, has opposed the clamour for the merger of the anti-corruption agency with the ICPC.
Mr. Mohammed Adoke, the Attorney- General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, recently called for the merger of the two bodies, citing duplication of functions and conflict of interests.
Waziri expressed the opposition at the Executive Forum on Nigeria, a series organised by BEN Television, an African oriented channel in the UK, on Sunday in London.
“Our roles are clearly defined by the Acts; there has never been any conflict nor duplications as being alleged,” the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Waziri as saying.
She said while the EFCC used the Economic and Financial Crime Act to prosecute suspects, the ICPC did the same with its Establishment Act.
She further said that assets and money worth 11 billion dollars were recovered from corrupt officials and their cohorts.
Waziri said EFCC’s collaboration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service had increased government’s revenue profile by more than 500 million dollars.
“Over 6.5 billion dollars bad loans were recovered and 1.5 billion dollars were also recovered from Mrs. Cecilia Ibru alone.”
She called for the setting up of special courts to try culprits, saying that this would reduce the delays in prosecuting suspects.
In his remarks, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK and the Court of St. James, said the Commission would not condone corruption under any guise.
Represented by Mr. Akin Oyateru, Head of Political Section in the High Commission, he expressed the resolve to fight passport syndication and racketeering.
“Every Nigerian citizen is entitled to have a green passport; you do not need to know anybody in the High Commission or pay additional 500 pounds to fast-track your applications.”
Tafida, who expressed concern over the dearth of role models and break down in value system, said there was need to teach good morals to the youth and children.