The EFCC: A badly needed rebirth

Well, the EFCC is an institution that I have a personal interest in. Not for anything but for the reason it was set up. I hope I am not wrong when I say that it was set up as one of the platforms to fight corruption by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo regime. It is to his legacy that the institution has endured and survived several administrations’ although in several colourations.

The institution even from birth has continued to be a child of controversy. Jumping from one major trouble to the other. The main reason for this situation if you ask me has been the colourful characters that have been appointed to chair the organisation.

From the very first one, Mr Ribadu to the last one Mr. Magu you will agree with me that they have come to the position with varying level of theatrics. They roamed with powers that put them mostly above the institution and moulded the institution according to there own preferences. The Chairman of the EFCC has now come to be feared even almost as much as the President. Even the supervising Minister has to be extremely careful in handling the Chairman otherwise….

This has led to the main objectives of the setting up of the Institution to be hobbled leaving it battling in the court of public opinion with battered image thereby making it lose its essence.

However, its importance as a strong tool for national cohesion cannot be over-emphasised. Most observers agree that the issue of corruption continues to weaken the levers that hold the economy leading to widespread poverty as a result of Governments not being able to meet its obligation to the people.

I dare say, a strong EFCC ably supported by a virile judiciary would go a long way in strengthening the Government and better positioning it to deliver on its promises. It is on this premises that I am cautiously optimistic with the recent announcement of Mr. Bawa as replacement to Mr. Magu who had left in a funny cloud.

That Mr. Buhari has gone for a radical shift in this appointment is not lost on observers. Mr. Bawa at 40 is said to be the youngest to emerge. He is also said to be in the first set of the EFCC Academy meaning that he is inbred and should better understand the structure than an outsider. His youthfulness should bring in more zest and fire to the job and hopefully with minimal youthful exuberance.

The institution must go back to the tenets of structural adherence to due process, respect for Human Rights and strict subservience to the rule of law. The spectre of selective obedience to rulings and sometime almost seeming disdain to the rule of law must be totally eradicated.

The institution as a matter of urgency must put in place structures and processes that will allow it win back the support and the confidence of its various stakeholder groups and the public in general. The situation where a suspect would rather jump to his grave rather be taken in throws a dampener on the public perception of the EFCC as a fair organisation that is guided by the rule of law and respect for civil liberties.

I do not know this new person and I have never met him. I have just been introduced to him like millions of Nigerians in the last 24 hours but something tells me that this time we just may have gotten it right.

I wish him well.