Reps backs EFCC’s anti-graft efforts

House of Representative has reiterated its resolved to fully support the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its determined efforts to tackle corruption and economic crimes in Nigeria.

Chairman, House Committee on Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti- Corruption, Kayode Oladele, gave the assurance at an interactive meeting with the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, at the National Assembly in Abuja.

Oladele said the House and the Committee were determined to partner the Executive to ensure significant reduction in incidents of financial crimes in Nigeria.

As a result of the consciousness of the growing need of anti-graft agencies in a rapidly evolving information age, Oladele opined that most transactions now take place on electronic platforms, and sophisticated networks of corporate, terrorist and political elements were now having convergent interests in keeping their illicit money and in perpetrating most economic crimes.

Of which this places additional pressure on the anti-graft agencies in understanding and smashing these networks.

“Within the limited resources available, this committee shall give the required support to the EFCC in ensuring that the agency is well equipped to undertake top-notch investigation and prosecution,” he said.

In his response, Magu said he was convinced that, under his leadership the Commission would benefit from the wealth of experience of members of the Committee.

He urged the Committee to leave its doors open for him, as he would be coming from time to time for advice and suggestions from them, and disclosed that the Commission in 2014 recorded 126 convictions and in 2015 the Commission was working on increasing the figure.

Magu presented the Commission’s 2015 budget performance to the Committee, saying that out of the total allocation of N10,472,982,781, the sum of N8,781,256,943,75, which represents 83 percent was released as of November 2015

He urged the Committee to intervene in the completion of the Commission’s proposed head office, which he said, would address the serious office accommodation problem faced by the Commission.