25th January, 2012
Against the backdrop of rising expectations of Nigerians from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the American Ambassador to Nigeria , Mr. Terence McCulley, on Wednesday, 25 January 2012, expressed the desire of the American government to continue to collaborate with the EFCC in its task of fighting economic and financial crimes.
Ambassador McCulley said this while paying a courtesy visit to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Abuja .
He explained that the United States has interests in deepening relationships with the EFCC under the leadership of Mr. Lamorde.
“We are ready to work with EFCC under your leadership. We commend your efforts to regain the credibility that EFCC has lost in the past,” McCulley said.
In the same vein, the American Deputy Assistant Under-Secretary, Mr Todd Robinson who was also on McCulley’s entourage, said that the US government was looking forward to working actively with the new leadership of the EFCC and expressed optimism that the relationship between the EFCC and the United States would be strengthened.
In his response, Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, appreciated the “tremendous support and assistance that the United States government has been giving the EFCC since its establishment.”
He said that the EFCC valued the cooperation and collaboration it enjoys from the United States and wished that the relationship would continue.
Specifically, Lamorde called for enhanced support to the EFCC in its anti-graft efforts, especially in his desire to cleanse the Commission of all vestiges of corruption with the creation of an Internal Affairs Department.
Besides, Lamorde sought American assistance in the training of EFCC staff in the areas of investigations, prosecution and case management. “Helping the EFCC to build capacities will rub off on other anti-graft agencies. This will make them to be strong and in the process the overall success of the anti-corruption efforts of the agencies will be ensured”, he said.
Other ranking American officials that accompanied McCulley and Robinson to the EFCC include: Diane Kohn, International Coordinator, United States Embassy, Abuja ; Megar Amer, Foreign Affairs Officer, Africa Team; Daniella Gayapersad-Chan, Program Officer, Africa Team and Brendan Doherty, Special Assistant, State Department.