One of the critical challenges causing major setbacks in Nigeria since independence is corruption. There have been different government administration with different agendas and styles to tackle corruption, but yet, until today, corruption is one of the major problems putting the country on a backfoot.
It is not news that every major and minor sector in Nigeria has to deal with severe issues of corruption, and this is a tremendous restricting factor for various sectors to work appropriately in Nigeria.
In the last three months alone, there have been several cases of corruption in a different section of the government. The problem of corruption in Nigeria is so bad that even the private and religious part of the country are involved in this carnage.
In 2003 the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) was created as an agency to compact different form of financial crime and general corrupt act in the country.
One will think the above-stated reason was righty the reason the EFCC was created, but, looking into the pressure point that gave birth to the creation of the EFCC, I have my sincere doubts that the EFCC was intentionally created to combat financial crimes and general corruption in Nigeria. This doubt is the reason why I think that the EFCC hasn’t worked and probably will never work until the proper reforms are done.
The creation of the EFCC was a response to political pressure from the international community. This fact seriously put in doubt the mission and vision of the EFCC.
The EFCC was created as a reaction to the pressure from the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). They named Nigeria as one of the 23 countries non-cooperative in the international community’s efforts to fight money laundering at the time.
This pressure was an evident bad political and criminal attention that Nigeria was getting in the international community that they had to deal with one way of the other; the reaction was to create the EFCC.
This information would make one wonder if the EFCC was created just as a political reaction without any principal intention to make it a trailblazing agency in fighting corruption.
The Structure of the EFCC and its Implications
The power structure of the EFCC makes the agency heavily susceptible to political pressure from whoever is in power.
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria reserves the power to appoint the Chairman of the agency.
This power of the President could be played out in so many ways that jeopardise the neutrality of the agency and hinders it from carrying out its mandate.
Political Influence
The structure of the EFCC makes it susceptible to heavy political influence; this form of domination is wrong for an agency that is set out to fight corruption.
This political influence is the reason why the agency over the years has been seen as a tool to fight dirty political wars rather than fighting corruption.
Every important issue about the agency is subjected to Presidential and Senate approval. This heavy political presence in the affairs of the agency has a high potential of hindering the carrying out the agency’s mandate.
This political influence is a heavy shackle on the back of the EFCC that must be taken off if the agency wants to stop being/being seen as a mere political tool.
Final Recommendation
If the EFCC is expected to carry out its mandate to the fullest, the political influence on it must be reduced. The Act establishing the commission must be amended for a lesser political power structure to be established in the commission.
If the job security and tenure of the head of the commission still rest on the prerogative of the President and his cohorts, separating the EFCC from political struggles will remain a hard task.
The neutrality of an agency like the EFCC must be sacrosanct if they must work at the optimum level expected of them.
If we expect the best of EFCC, the political shackles must be broken.
