THE problem of corruption in Nigeria is a matter of serious concern to all well meaning citizens, as it is regarded as a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the society, permeating all spheres of societal development whether social, economic or political. Over the years, governments have made efforts to arrest the quagmire and one of the bold steps was the enactment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act, in 2002, which was amended in 2004, under the leadership of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to the Act, the Commission’s mandate includes to eradicate economic and financial crimes through prevention, enforcement and coordination, while its core values are integrity, professionalism, courage and collaboration. However, despite government efforts to curb corruption through enactment of laws and enforcement of integrity system, only little success seems to have been recorded, as challenges of corruption have continued to hamper sustainable development goals, contributing to dysfunctioning of public and private sector, partial justice, violation of human rights, as well as organized crime and terrorism.
Though there have been allegations in the past of the involvement of some EFCC officers in corrupt practices, the recent dismissal of 27 officers from the Commission’s workforce for offences bordering on fraudulent activities and misconduct is a confirmation that there are some bad eggs within the workforce whose conducts are at variance with their rules of engagement.
No doubt, the scandalous activities of the dismissed officers portends a dangerous trend that requires urgent redress in order to enforce integrity, rid the commission of fraudulent elements, save its image, as well as restore public confidence in its ability to live up to its core values. It is indeed appalling and sad that officers who are supposed to be watchdogs in utter disregard of their professional calling, abdicate their lawful mandate to indulge in corrupt practices.
We are, therefore, in total support of the Commission’s chairman unwavering stance on zero tolerance for corruption. The dismissal of the errant officers will not only serve as deterrent to others, but will go a long way in restoring the image of the Commission from further damage as a result of the recalcitrant attitude of few unscrupulous officers.
To forestall corrupt practices among the personnel of the commission, we call on the authority to engage in moral suasion to encourage officers to respect their rules of engagement and shun acts capable of undermining the mandate and core values of the commission. This because greed, ostentatious lifestyle, customs, peoples attitudes and tribalism have been identified as some of the causes of corruption.
The Commission should prioritize the enhancement of personnel salaries and welfare benefits to discourage them from being compromised in the course of carrying out their assignments. It is a fact that some individuals are susceptible to corrupt practices mostly because of their greed, but a well paid officer with good welfare package will be more motivated to uphold the organization’s rules of engagement.
There is also the need to embark on the training and retraining of the officers to keep them abreast of modern trends in the exercise of their professional responsibilities. This will include necessary reforms that will lead to improvement in the provision of equipment and other facilities to boost their morale and ensure optimum performance.
We urge the authorities of the Commission to intensify efforts in the enforcement of the rules of engagement and ensure that disciplinary measures are applied in an impartially dispassionate manner when the need arises no matter who is involved. Efforts should also be geared towards the emplacement of a monitoring system to checkmate the activities of unruly officers.
