Buhari Warns EFCC Ahead Of 2023: ‘Don’t Meddle In Politics, Focus On Serving Nigeria’

Ahead of the 2023 general election, President Muhammadu Buhari has cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against pandering to any political party or candidate in the country.

Buhari said the anti-graft agency must watch out for individuals or groups who may want to use it to settle political scores as the nation heads to the polls.

The president spoke at the unveiling of the EFCC Standard Operating Procedures, Policies and Manuals, held at the State House on Friday.

“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.

Buhari commended the Abdulrasheed Bawa-led EFCC for securing 2,220 convictions within one year and recovering over N152 Billion and $385 million.

“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.

Buhari further commended the Bawa-led EFCC for developing 26 standard operating procedures and 25 Policies and manuals for the departments, units and staff of the commission .

“Ladies and Gentlemen, these outstanding feats achieved are being unveiled today and I would like to use this opportunity to encourage other Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, especially Law Enforcement Agencies to also ensure the standardization of their processes within the extant laws and regulations as provided in our statutes.

“I need not underscore the importance of today’s occasion but let me remind you that the stakes are high but national expectations are higher. Therefore, we must continue to strive and deal decisively with matters in accordance with the rule of law.

“On the part of the Government, we shall continue to accord all necessary support to MDAs in order to ensure the sustainability of the initiatives already commenced in actualizing our vision of a corrupt free society.

“Let me conclude by saying that the fight against economic and financial crimes in Nigeria is a collective responsibility of all Nigerians if we are to make meaningful progress as a nation.

“I invite you all to fight corruption in all its ramifications and join us to entrench good governance values and integrity within all our systems. As I have often said, “If we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill us as a nation.”

According to Buhari, developing the guidelines confirms the commitment of the EFCC toward the fight against corruption.

He said, “I understand from your remarks Mr. Chairman, that these are the first collection of policy documents ever developed in the eighteen years of the Commission’s existence aimed at defining the institutional rules and operational guidelines while instituting uniformity in standards, improving efficiency and removing discretion from your operations. These are indeed remarkable achievements and are very commendable.’’

In his remarks,the EFCC chairman, Bawa, 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.

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.

“I will lead an agency that will be the pride of our country, Nigeria,’’ he said.