The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that what it achieved within the last 11 months in terms of looted assets recovery surpassed its first 12-year record.
The EFCC acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, made this fact known when a team of participants at the National Management Course of the Pakistani National School of Policy visited him in Abuja on Tuesday.
“We have achieved a lot in terms of recovery of looted funds and property in the past 11 months more than was achieved in the last 12 years of the existence of the commission.
“We have had many challenges but for me, my main motivation is the political goodwill we enjoy,’’ Magu said in a statement.
“My men are determined and committed to work. Most importantly, the government is also ever ready to support us,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Magu was appointed acting chairman of the EFCC on Nov. 9, 2015, making him the fourth helmsman of the commission.
On June 4, the Federal Government released a list of recovered stolen funds broken down as N78billion, $185million, £3.5million and €11,250.
According to the federal government, the funds were recovered between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016.
The EFCC boss told his guests that the anti-corruption campaign of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was total and geared towards bringing the nation’s economy back on track.
He said the commission, under his leadership, had upped the ante in the fight against graft with remarkable success.
He said that in order to check corruption amongst staff, the commission created a Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) charged with the responsibility of vetting intending staff.
According to him, the DIA also investigates staff, receives petitions from the public concerning its personnel and makes sure all staff members maintain integrity.
The leader of the eight-man delegation and director at the NSP, Irum Bukhari, said the visit was to enable the team to learn from EFCC.
“We want to know your composition, your success stories and the laws that govern your activities as we also strive in our country to fight corruption, extremism and terrorism,” he said.
Bukhari explained that the delegation comprised top civil servants who had served the Pakistani government for many years.
She said they were at EFCC “to study and improve themselves in order to handle key positions in the decision making of our country.”
She expressed optimism that the visit would further strengthen the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Pakistan.