The leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is poised for a shake up as three candidates are currently being screened as possible replacement for the agency’s current chairman, Farida Waziri,
According to Presidency sources who spoke to NEXT over the weekend, of the three names, John Amodu and Tunde Ogunshakin are two of the candidates who have been screened by the SSS..
“Typically, what they try to look for include scandals, court charges and so on,” a source said, describing the clearance process.
The candidates
Mr. Ogunshakin worked as the director of operations of the EFCC under Mrs. Waziri until May, 2009 when he was redeployed by his boss. While some reports claim that he was removed from the commission because of an examinations malpractice scandal, other reports claim that Mr. Ogunshakin, who had worked under the former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu, did not get along well with his new boss.
He is generally regarded as a seasoned investigator.
The second candidate, Mr. Amodu, works with the Nigerian Police as a Deputy Inspector-General (Operations). The details of the third candidate were yet to be revealed at press time.
It is believed that the assessment of the candidates’ records has been concluded and the reports forwarded to the presidency.
EFCC response
Meanwhile, the EFCC has dismissed all claims of an imminent change of leadership in the commission.
“I’m certain that nobody is doing that. Whoever is saying that is carrying out a campaign of calumny aimed at distracting the commission,” Femi Babafemi, spokesman of the commission, said.
The reports of the leadership change are coming amidst other reports that the EFCC might be dropping its case against the former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa. Those reports indicate that the commission has instructed its lawyers to withdraw the 47-count charge brought against the opposition politician.
Mr. Bafarawa was dramatically arrested by the commission in December last year during a meeting of opposition politicians in Abuja and has since been charged to court for financial misappropriation to the tune of N15billion naira.
“Plans are afoot to withdraw the case following the intervention of the NSA, Gusau,” a source said to NEXT.
Mr. Babafemi however denied the reports.
“It is 100 percent falsehood. There is no iota of truth in it. How can you say that such a celebrated case that involves stolen funds of about 15 billion will be squashed just like that?” he asked, adding that the EFCC legal team in charge of the case was in court over the case on Thursday, April 15.
New improved EFCC
The EFCC has, in the past few weeks, come under a lot of media criticism. And, in that period, there has been an increase in the number of high profile cases being pushed by the EFCC, which many claim is a reflection of its chairman’s bid to be seen as productive in the light of the changing structure in the Presidency.
A Lagos-based human rights attorney, Jiti Ogunye, who spoke with NEXT, said that the EFCC has not been pro-active in the corruption fight but has rather taken advantage of various happenings across the country to assert itself.
He cited the bank frauds of 2009 and the recent emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as examples.
“We see the unusual hyper activity of the EFCC in the last three weeks of the ascendancy of Goodluck Jonathan to power as a calculated ploy to give the impression that the EFCC leadership is competent, credible and that the anti-corruption war is safe in its hands,” he said. “The problem we have with this hyperactivity is that it can never be sustained. We would say that it is a grand ruse because if we want the anti-corruption war to be meaningfully waged, episodic grandstanding and playing to the gallery ought to be shunned.”
Other media reports have also showcased harsh words about the moral stance of the current leadership of the commission as well as the agency’s organisational structure.
Jonathan’s verdict
While it is unclear whether the reports have been investigated by the executive arm of government, the recent screening of candidates may be an indication that the reports have not gone unnoticed.
Whereas the EFCC insists that it is carrying on a vigorous fight against corruption, the Presidency does not appear to be in agreement. Last week, while in the US, the acting president, Mr. Jonathan, expressed his dissatisfaction with the current fight against corruption in the country and promised to look into the current structure of the EFCC.
“It appears that EFCC is not aggressive enough these days and people have asked me to look into that organisation and I shall look into that organisation,” Mr. Jonathan said during a breakfast meeting at the Centre for Global Development, CGD, Washington D.C., last Wednesday.
