The Executive-Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani has tasked the newly appointed chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, on fair and balanced fight against corruption in the country.
Recall that on Wednesday, the Senate had confirmed the 40-year-old Bawa as the substantive chairman of the commission, replacing Ibrahim Magu who was suspended in June 2020.
Issuing a statement on Thursday, the CISLAC Boss charged Mr Bawa to rid the commission of the same political influences that are frustrating the successful management of anti-graft and law enforcement agencies across the country.
According to Mr Rafsanjani, Mr Bawa’s new job is to place the commission in a position of strength to fight financial crimes and corruption in the country.
He said: “We at CISLAC/Transparency International (TI) hold the opinion that the insulation of the commission from vested interests is very fundamental in the fight against corruption.”
While lamenting the alleged inadequate remuneration to the EFCC staffers, Mr Rafsanjani urged the new chairman to put measures in place address the aberration.
Mr Rafsanjani demanded that any staffer who abuses his office be promptly investigated and sanctioned, in line with existing laws of the commission.
According to him, Mr Bawa’s new methods to ensure a better EFCC should include cooperation with sister anti-graft agencies and thorough investigation of cases before court filing to “ensure sufficient utilization of scarce resources.”
“Finally, Bawa is enjoined to readily provide information to the public and non-state actors like the media and civil society organizations in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
“By doing this, he will make the fight against corruption a collective effort with increased participation by citizens,” Mr Rafsanjani added.
