The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Mr. Razak Atunwa, on Tuesday said the claim by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that it was broke was a blow to the anti-graft war in the country.
The EFCC Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Adegboyega, had, while briefing the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption in Abuja on Monday, said that lack of adequate funding of the agency was affecting its fight against corruption in the country.
Adegboyega spoke at a public hearing on the bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency.
He lamented that the EFCC was broke with only less than N2m in its account.
Atunwa, in an interview with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State, said such a claim was worrisome and that it depicted serious concerns about national governance and commitment to the anti-graft war.
The Speaker said, “For me, it is unbelievable that an agency set up to fight corruption will be unable to do that because of lack of fund. It is worrying that we will have EFCC say it is broke and on the other hand the Security and Exchange Commission, which the National Assembly voted a zero budget, continue to be funded and we wonder where the SEC gets the funds to carry out its operations while EFCC that has a budget does not have money. There is something wrong there.
“It is funny and beyond belief that EFCC or any agency of the government will claim to be broke when the CBN has said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission has failed to remit about $49bn to the Federal Account. Now something has to be wrong.
“The questions are: Is this government serious about fighting corruption? Is this government serious about governance of this country? Can’t they tell Nigerians that they have used our money judiciously? Nobody seemed to bother about the alarm of the CBN Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, that $49bn is not remitted.”
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