The federal government has inaugurated a 23-member board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Recall that the appointment of the board members was confirmed by the Senate in October 2021.
According to a statement released by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, performed the inauguration on behalf of the federal government in Abuja on Thursday.
The newly inaugurated board has a tenure of 5 years.
The anti-graft agency had been without a board for six years.
Mustapha, speaking during inauguration, urged the members of the board to be above board, adding that they should work towards policies that would contribute to the fight against corruption in the country.
He said, “You are, however, required to put in your best to combat financial and economic crimes in the country.
“The commission is empowered to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalize economic and financial crimes and is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of other laws and regulations relating to economic and financial crimes, as well as fight terrorism.
“Let me reiterate the fact that governing boards are creations of the enabling statutes of the various institutions, with the main responsibility for giving policy direction to management, in order to contribute towards the developmental goals of government.
“I, therefore, expect that all hands will be on deck to generate robust policy initiatives that will help this administration achieve its fight against corruption and revamp the economy.
“Similarly, in carrying out your responsibility as board members, you must also eschew corruption totally as the government will not hesitate to sanction all infractions.”
In a remark, The EFCC chairman, AbdulRasheed Bawa who doubles as the executive chairman of the board, said the agency had 98.54 per cent success rate in court, adding that with the inauguration, the agency would get better.
He said, “We recorded 2220 convictions, which is the highest ever recorded within one calendar year by the EFCC. The closest to that was in 2019 when the EFCC recorded only 1280 convictions.
“Looking at also the figure that we have lost within the Same calendar, we lost 37 cases. . If you do the math, you will understand that we had 98.54% success rate in court. But with the inauguration of this board, I believe with the wealth of experience that all of us are bringing to the board, we will be able to do better.
“Looking at what we have done and the daunting task before us. And as you have said, Nigeria have succeeded in even exporting this problem in overseas, I can understand where you’re coming from, we will deal with it.“
