Two Years of EFCC

Two Years of EFCC

Ibrahim Balarabe

(Public Affairs Unit, EFCC)

The Creation of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the federal government in the year 2003, came at a time when many if not most Nigerians were of the opinion that fighting corruption and corrupt practices is something better printed on paper than actually being practical. It is on this note that we would like to assess the EFCC’s performance within two years of inception in an attempt to explain whether it justifies or not the praises it is receiving from many quarters including government, private sector and ordinary members of the public.

In trying to do that I would like to make a slight reference to its sister Organization the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Matters Commission (ICPC) which was created in the year 2000 also by the federal government. However, it is not my intention to be-little the body but rather to buttress a point. The argument among most quarters then was that the creation of ICPC, did not show any significant relevance in fighting the menace of corruption and instilling fear in the minds of those bent on committing corrupt practices.

The ICPC to me may have performed the way it did either due to lack of support from the powers that be or lack of zeal and determination from the body itself, the case of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence Mr. Makanjoula and others can be cited as an example here.

The EFCC which is the new kid on the block created to fight economic and financial crimes in the Country is proving to be a hard nut to crack in the fight against these crimes, with its resilience and steadfastness in executing its responsibilities as enshrined in its Act (Establishment Act, 2004). After only two years of its creation, EFCC had proved beyond any reasonable doubt that it meant business and had lived to its slogan’s claim that ‘’No one is above law’’ after the arrest and prosecution of people like former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun and alleged 419 kingpins like Mr. Emmanuel Nwude, Mrs. Anajemba and others who are still facing trials in various courts in the country.

As we are aware, cases brought to court by the EFCC deal not with petty thieves but the high and mighty within the society, people who were found to be tampering with public monies put under their care. The case of Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye the embattled governor of Plateau State, is fresh in our memories and also reminds us that even those who are supposedly above the law by virtue of the immunity they enjoy under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic, are still haunted by the fear of eminent prosecution by the EFCC the moment their controversial immunity expired.

To add to my assertion about the successes achieved by the EFCC within the relatively short period of two years I would like to refer to a recent Publication in Wall street Journal an American Newspaper, where Chip Cummins a reporter writing from Port Harcourt under the heading “A Nigerian Cop Cracks Down on Vast Black Market in Oil”, told his American and indeed other international readers that the fight against economic and financial crimes being waged by the EFCC under the able leadership of Malam Nuhu Ribadu is gaining tremendous success.

Cummings pointed out that the fight against oil smuggling in the Niger Delta has led to a significant fall in the number of oil theft per barrel citing a report from the Royal Dutch/Shell group, whose joint venture with the NNPC pumps about half of the Nigerian crude, that stated that the amount of crude stolen from its network has fallen by almost half since last year. Putting figures to the amount of the theft by barrel, officials from the Shell Company told Cummins that currently the theft stands at about 40,000 to 50,000 barrels a day, down from almost 100,000 barrels per day in the early 2004. The Commission through the chairman also confirmed that over 250 criminal cases are being prosecuted while 4 cases were already concluded with over two thousand copies of petitions received from various sources.

However as is common with all previous attempts at fighting corruption in the Nigerian polity, issues of nepotism, ethnicity or tribalism and of recent politics, were used to rubbish most noble causes, as whenever there is any attempt to punish offenders, there will be an out cry against it signifying that the act was not genuine but rather an attempt to settle tribal, ethnic or political scores. Recent negative write ups in some national dailies on the Commission is a typical example of this and a reference can also be made to the attempt by the government under the leadership of General Muhammadu Buhari between 1984 – 1985 to punish drug traffickers through firing squad, a mode of punishment not unique to Nigeria which attracted an out cry that a particular group of persons was being targeted.

Nigerians to my understanding would like to live in a sanitized environment like any other citizens around the globe. However the only element that is lacking in their quest to achieve so, is the courage and zeal to say no to what many considered as a norm when it comes to dealing with corruption whether in or outside the government.

Mr. Ribadu and his lieutenants are currently staging a war though in a more daring way similar to that fought by the duo of Generals Mohammed Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon (may he rest in peace) during their short but eventful reign when they launched a spirited fight against indiscipline in Nigeria. The duo came up with what they termed “War against Indiscipline (WAI)” which even those who disagreed with them at that memorable time acknowledged that discipline was becoming a house hold name in most Nigerian homes and some sanity was being fashioned out within the peoples of Nigeria to the admiration to citizens of countries where discipline rules.

Other notable achievements of the Commission are the establishment of its own Training Institute in Abuja and zonal offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt, plus plans to establish more offices in Kano and other cities around the country, all in its effort to spread its tentacles and make its effects be felt in all geo-political zones of Nigeria.

In conclusion I would like to further point out that the way the Commission is created with blessings from the international community and bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (PATF), a body responsible for monitoring acts of money laundering across the globe, makes it quite different from similar bodies created to fight corruption and economic crimes in the country.

The EFCC has already established a sub unit called the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in the year 2004 which is saddled with the responsibility of check mating transactions in our banks with the intention of detecting any fraudulent activity in relation to money laundering.

Also the creation of a regional body in the West African sub – region to fight money laundering and acts of terrorism known as Inter governmental action against money laundering in Africa (GIABA) with its headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, has certainly boosted Nigeria’s nerve to join other countries determined to eradicate or at least bring to the minimum economic and financial crimes in Africa in particular and the world in general.