Ayo Ola
Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief Emeka Ngige and Mr. Kehinde Kolawole Eleja, as well as the Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resources Centre), Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, have urged members of the newly inaugurated Governing Board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to live above board.
They also urged them to regard their appointments as national service and work assiduously to aid EFCC in the anti-graft war, to ensure international best practices as well as act as checks and balances to the EFCC.SANs, HEDA task EFCC Governing Board
The Federal Government had on Thursday, January 13, 2022, at the Conference Room of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Abuja, through the SGF, Mr. Mustapha Boss, inaugurated the EFCC Governing Board.
Members of the board, according to Boss are AbdulRasheed Bawa (Executive Chairman); Luqman Muhammad (member); Anumba Adaeze (member); Alhaji Kola Raheem Adesina (member) and Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad (member).
He added that the board’s institutional representatives are: Haruna Nuhu Koko (Department of State Services); Reginald Chukwudi Karawusa (Security and Exchange Commission); Pius Agboola (National Insurance Commission); Salisu Abdu (Nigeria Communication Commission); Nwakaego Celine Nwajeia (Nigerian Postal Service); Justine B, Nidiya Corporate Affairs Commission), U.G Mohammed (Nigeria Custom Services); Muhammed Aminu Muhammed (Nigeria Immigration Services); and Umar Maman Sanda (Nigeria Police Force).
Others are Emmanuel Andrew Naman (National Intelligence Agency); Ibrahim Abdul (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency); and Gabriel Christopher (Federal Ministry of Finance); Adamu Shaibu (Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Jeremiah Abue (Central Bank of Nigeria); Galadima Yusufari Gana (Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation); and representative of Ministry of Justice
George Abang Ekpungu – who is also Secretary to the commission.
Eleja urged them not to behave like politicians.
He said, “My advise to the board is not to see themselves as politicians. It is to see the appointment as a call to national service because the problem of corruption in Nigeria has assumed a very dangerous proportion and much is expected from the EFCC. So, that is my advice to them. They should live above board, they should not behave like politicians and they must see the assignment as a call to service.”
Ngige urged them not to take over the responsibilities of the EFCC management but should work within their powers.
He said, “My advice to the board members is that they should look at the law setting up the agency and look at their powers and conform to the laws in terms of the exercise of their powers. They are not expected to take over the executive function of the management. They should concern themselves with what is assigned to the board.
“They should equally check on the excesses of the management. Where they try to engage in abuse of office or in the undue exercise of their management powers, they should call the management to order. That is the reason why the board is there in the first place. I am very hopeful that following Salami’s report, the board members will equally be availed of that report to ensure that the rot and abuse of office that was witnessed in the previous management is not repeated.”
Suraju asked them to support the EFCC Chairman to ensure the independence of the agency.
He said, “My advice to the board is to understand very clearly the critical role of the commission in addition to its mandate and also relative to approaching general elections coming in 2023 where public office holders and others would embark more on activities that would undermine the public office and expectations of them in an attempt at amassing resources to be used for either buying of votes or influencing the electoral process or even bribing INEC officials. The EFCC has gone a step ahead to assess the electoral process by monitoring the movement of funds money and resources during elections. That will really need to happen more.
“The second one will be for the board members to understand their peculiar roles and insulate themselves from political influence and interferences in the operations of the commission. I would want to see the board supporting the chairman to ensure the independence of the commission, the effectiveness of the commission and also attracting as much as possible, public support for the commission.”