Federal government has inaugurated the governing board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is coming six years after the last board of the EFCC was dissolved as the commission had been without a board since 2015.
In his remarks at the inauguration, secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha advised the board members to avoid corrupt practices and urged them to work towards policies that will contribute significantly to the fight against corruption.
According to him, “Let me, therefore, congratulate the chairman and members of the governing board on your well-deserved appointments, which is a demonstration of Mr. President’s confidence in your integrity, intellectual abilities and competence to contribute to the realisation of the mandate of the commission.
“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 penalise 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.”
In his remarks, the EFCC chairman, AbdulRasheed Bawa said, ” I want to assure, your Excellency and the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that we are not unfamiliar with the daunting task before us. We have been doing well. Last year was a difficult year with COVID-19 but the EFCC has managed to, set a new record in terms of recoveries as well as, you know, convictions.”
Other members of the board aside from Bawa present at the inauguration included, Luqman Muhammad, Anumba Adaeze, Kola Raheem Adesina, and Yahaya Muhammad. Recall that in June 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari had constituted the EFCC board.