A new model that would fight corruption rather than corrupt persons is the way for anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, its chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has said.
The new corruption prevention model complements the EFCC enforcement activities, Bawa said through his chief of staff, Hadiza Zubairu Gamawa, at the ongoing capacity building workshop for members of boards of parastatal, commission and government agencies, organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, said it has been established that, it was far cheaper to prevent than fight corruption. He reiterated his statement before the Senate at his confirmation that he was going to fight corruption, not corrupt persons.
According to Bawa, in a statement by the commission’s spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, the prevention model will incorporate fraud risk assessment and proactive measures to address corruption vulnerabilities in public corporations, particularly revenue generating agencies.
“The EFCC will work with these institutions to identify corrupt conduits, and ensure they are eliminated from the system,” he said.
Speaking further, he disclosed that the Commission will be conducting quarterly workshops on the ills of economic crimes for enhanced public consciousness of the malaise.
The anti-corruption boss also took time to x-ray the activities of the agency and the special powers conferred on it by Section 7 of the EFCC Act. “It is the responsibility of the EFCC to be proactive and deny the perpetrators of economic crime access to enjoy the proceeds of crime,” he said.
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, applauded the Chairman and the Commission for the presentation. He added that the Bureau was pleased that the succession plan of the EFCC worked perfectly as the recent change in leadership has not affected its effectiveness.
The workshop is themed: Strengthening the Capacity of Board Members of Parastatals and Commissions on Organizational Effectiveness and Corporate Governance.