* As NBA Also Indicates Readiness To Partner With EFCC
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB are to strengthen their collaboration in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
Speaking on Friday, June 18, 2021, while receiving a delegation from the CCB led by its chairman, Professor Isah Mohammed in his office, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, promised to assist the CCB in training staff of the Bureau in the areas of administration, assets tracing and recovery as well as forensic investigation.
He also offered CCB access to the Commission’s Forensic Laboratory for analysis pending when it is able to establish its own laboratory. “We have a full-fledged Forensic Laboratory that can assist you rather than venture into something that will further burden the budget,” he said.
The offer was in response to the request by the CCB chairman, who specifically called for EFCC’s assistance to the Bureau in the areas of assets tracing and recovery, forensic investigation, and collaborative investigation.
The EFCC boss said officials from the Commission’s Academy will visit the CCB to carry out a training needs assessment which will assist them in designing programs that will suit the needs of the CCB.
Bawa commended the CCB for her response to requests for assets declaration forms of politically exposed persons by the Commission. He however appealed that the process is further expedited. “We have this problem of delay in response. We understand that some of these forms are being declared at the state level but we still believe that it takes too long a time for us to receive these responses”, he said.
The EFCC chairman further advised the CCB to explore the possibility of revising the assets declaration form to eliminate gaps that are currently exploited by public officers to withhold information on their assets.
To enhance the seamless partnership between the agencies, Bawa requested that the CCB designate an officer who will handle requests from the EFCC.
In his remarks, Prof. Mohammed commended Bawa “for the brilliant way he approaches matters”, adding that they were at the EFCC “to collaborate and make sure that the fight against corruption succeeds.”
Reflecting on the history of his agency as the pioneer anti-graft agency in Nigeria, the CCB chair lamented that despite its age, CCB was the most challenged among the anti-corruption agencies in terms of funding.
He however dispelled the notion that the Bureau was secretive in its handling of assets declaration forms of public officers, adding that it had always responded to requests from relevant agencies. “We have nothing to hide, and we are working with all the anti-corruption agencies with transparency. Whatever information that is requested is given to public institutions,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, has expressed its desire to partner with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its fight against corrupt practices.
This desire was expressed on Thursday, June 17, 2021, by the Chairman of the Association, Barrister Prince Nyekwere, while on a Courtesy Visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE Aliyu. Naibi. According to him, the EFCC " is a very important institution in Nigeria, fighting economic and financial crimes and that the NBA should be seen as a partner in progress. "We are ready to partner with the EFCC. Let the Commission take us as partners in progress and realize that as NBA, we want it to succeed in its assigned mandate", he said.
Nyekwere stressed that the works of the EFCC are central to the growth and development of the nation because " for any country to develop, it is important that investors and citizens have confidence in the system and if we allow criminals and criminality, especially in the area of economic and financial crimes, then the country will not move forward".
The NBA Chairman noted that the task of prosecution of financial criminals by the EFCC required painstaking efforts and commitments. He, however, stressed that rules and procedures should always be followed in the interest of justice for all. He admitted that there are some " bad eggs and Judases in the legal profession, but our responsibility is not to free criminals but to ensure that no one escapes justice and for those who did not commit any crime not to suffer".
In his response, Naibi stated that EFCC was mindful of justice for every party involved in any matter because " justice is one- either for the complainant; the accused; the law enforcement agencies; the society or the government. Justice is one and the interest is the overall good of the country and this is the interest the EFCC is working for". He expressed satisfaction with the relationship of the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC with the NBA, stressing that " the relationship is good and robust".
On the issue of investigations and prosecution, Naibi scored the EFCC high, pointing out that "Our investigations are always watertight. We have about 97% success rate in our prosecution and this is a fact that is open to everyone". He assured the NBA of an open door system and called for more result-oriented collaboration between the two. NNL.