The chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has implored the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to continually keep focus on its mission statement of curbing all forms of economic and Financial Crimes in the country.
Prof. Sagay while leading some members of the committee on a visit to the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday noted the importance of the agency in the ongoing war against corruption in the country.
He said: “The common interest of Nigerians is at stake, because corruption affects everyone, and we have the same objective, therefore you can rely on us to give you support in all ramifications,”
Sagay, while praising the EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu, for restructuring and repositioning the anti-graft agency said: “The energy you have brought in to the activities of the EFCC since your assumption of office has encouraged us, and we want you to continue to do more,”
In line with the concerns of the committee Chairman, the committee’s secretary, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, while stressing the importance of convictions in cases especially involving high-profile individuals added: “We commend you for your efforts, but there is need to further enhance the good work you are doing by securing convictions in high-profile cases,”
In response, the EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu reassured the committee members of the commission’s dedication to the task at hand and promised not to relent in its efforts.
Magu, acquainting the committee members with some of the reforms that has been put in place added that: “We are restructuring the operations aspect of the Commission and weeding out the bad eggs.
“We are also carrying the anti-corruption crusade to the grassroots,”
He continued that the EFCC was determined to get to the root of all major corruption cases in the country including the Halliburton case. He added that so far, the agency has been yielding an impressive level of results and according to him, “We are getting back the confidence we have been lacking,”
He however noted that the agency was faced with the problem of accommodation and added that there was a need to have a well equipped Academy which is of international standards.