Erasmus Alaneme
19 November 2008
Abuja — THERE are Indications that the Presidency may merge the two anti-corruption agencies, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to speed up the anti-graft war.
This is even as leaders of both agencies, Mrs. Farida Waziri and Justice Emmanuel Ayoola (Rtd), met in Abuja Tuesday to dispel rumour of any friction between them as well as agreeing to jointly continue the war against corruption.
Daily Champion gathered that the reason for the move to remove one of the agencies or merge both is due to duplicity in their responsibilities. Most pronounced of this are the current cases against former State governors.
The duplicity of both agencies was Tuesday acknowledged by the Chairman of the EFCC while speaking with her counterpart from the ICPC.
As at today, both agencies are in possession of list for alleged governors, but while the EFCC had gone ahead to commence prosecution of some of the governors, the ICPC is yet to make public its list of indicted governors.
When Daily Champion made inquiry concerning the cases against the ex-governors, Resident consultant to the ICPC, Folu Olamiti told our Reporter to hold on till next week.
Speaking in statement signed by Mr. Folu Olamiti yesterday, the ICPC chairman, Justice Ayoola (Rtd) who played host to Mrs. Waziri, at the ICPC Headquarters, said: "We are not fighting. Both of us find the media reports embarrassing. No friction between ICPC and EFCC."
According to him, there are many battles to fight not the imaginary friction which does not represent the efforts being made by the agencies to fight corruption.
Though the EFCC boss acknowledged that there are fricytions between both agencies, she pointed out in the statement that it has been settled.
"Though there was small misunderstanding which was overblown by the press. Whatever it was, we have resolved it amicably and have agreed to fight the battle against corruption together.
Mrs. Waziri claimed not to know much about ICPC's programmes, but that after listening to the ICPC chairman, she had learned more of these programmes which she said needed more publicity.
We will from now be sharing ideas so that there will be no duplication, because duplication dissipate energy and weakens the campaign." The statement added.
As a product of the meeting, the two agencies have agreed to a joint summit in January centred on fraud and integrity, whereby all stakeholders will be invited to chart new strategies against corruption, because according to the two leaders, they were disturbed by the stigma financial fraud known as 419 was giving Nigerians whenever they traveled abroad.
Mrs. Waziri was accompanied to the ICPC by Mr. Oliver Stolpe, the United Nations Senior Project Co-ordinator, Office On Drug and Crime.
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