Do not participate in politics, Buhari warns EFCC

The President, who spoke at the Unveiling of the EFCC Standard Operating Procedures, Policies and Manuals, at the State House in Abuja, advised leaders and all operatives of the commission to resist the temptation of being influenced by political actors for personal gains or to score political points.

“I must advise the leadership and operatives of this commission to resist the temptation of being used for partisan politics or be dragged into personal disputes. Your job is to serve the nation in its efforts to entrench good governance,’’ he said.

The President noted the excellent performance of the leadership of the EFCC in securing 2,220 convictions within one year and recovering over N152billion and $385m.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am glad to note that the war against corruption, which is one of the cardinal objectives of this administration, is being strengthened through the institutionalization of operational procedures particularly as they form the building blocks of transparency and accountability in administration and public expenditure,’’ he said.

President Buhari also commended the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, for efforts to further institutionalize the commission by developing 26 Standard Operating Procedures and 25 Policies and Manuals for the Departments, Units and Staff of the Commission, while appreciating the support of the Board, Management and Staff.

In his remarks, the Chairman of EFCC noted that the institution was undergoing various phases of reforms to reposition it for the task of fighting financial crimes in the country, with production of policies and manuals.

The chairman thanked the President and the National Assembly for the confidence reposed in his “ability and competence’’ to take over the leadership of the organisation in 2021.

Bawa said departments in the EFCC had been reorganised and upgraded, including intelligence gathering, training and the academic institutions, to meet the demands of the job, adding that a software had been developed for operations, and a mobile app, “The Evil Eye’’, deployed for ease of reporting economic and financial crimes from the comfort of homes.

He said the EFCC already had a five-year strategic plan, 2021-2025, with clear and measurable targets, based on five objectives, which include improving public engagement to fight crimes, systems and processes for prevention, intelligence gathering, prosecution and law enforcement.