The Acting Chairman, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has commended his team for the progress so far in ensuring that corruption in Nigeria is being reduced to the barest minimum. He made this known at the Meeting with Media Executives Conference Room, EFCC, Lagos Zone, on Wednesday, September 5, 2018.
Read His Full Text At The Event
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this meeting, which is part of my interface with critical stakeholders. Of course, it is obvious that the media remains the most important ally of the EFCC in the fight against corruption. We owe the media a debt of gratitude for whatever success we have recorded in the last three years. Your critical reviews and criticisms, both constructive and otherwise, have kept us on our toes and ensued that we remain faithful to the Nigerian people in the discharge of our mandate.
More than ever before, we are convinced that the media remains strategic for the future success of the EFCC and the fight against corruption in our country.
This understanding underscores my decision to meet with you this morning to appreciate you and exchange ideas on the way forward in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
I am not here to lecture you on anti-corruption; rather, I have come with an open mind to listen to you, to know what we are getting right and areas where we need to improve. I will be taking notes.
Ladies and gentlemen, it will be nerve for anyone to expect the fight against corruption to be smooth; you should expect resistance, which is expressed in various guises. With the general election fast approaching, the resistance has assumed even frightening dimensions with political motives imputed to most of our activities.
These days, it has become fashionable for anyone being investigated for corruption by the Commission to scream political persecution. Corrupt officials of state governments are pleading immunities not ascribed to them by the Constitution. Some governors have also extended the frontiers of their constitutional immunities by claiming that anti-corruption agencies cannot even investigate them!
Sadly, some of our friends in the media help amplify these narratives and thereby diverting attention from the real issues.
The times we are in call for vigilance, especially by the media as the watchdog of society. As I have stated in various fora, the EFCC is apolitical and will not knock on your door, if you have not violated the law. The media owes Nigerians a duty not to allow the corrupt to deploy their ill-gotten riches to corner the machinery of government. Such folly was injurious to our national wellbeing in the past and will not profit us in the future.
The media should not lend their platforms to helping the cause of the corrupt that are shedding crocodile tears. We must all do what is right for our country, which is ensuring that those who steal our common patrimony are brought to justice.
Gentlemen of the press, regardless of the’ distractions and irritations by the corrupt, I am happy to report that we are making progress. Over the past three years, the Commission under my leadership has consistently recorded improvements in the areas of prosecution of persons for corruption and recovery of stolen assets. So far this year, we have had the honour of sending two former governors to jail for 14 years each. It has never happened before! As I speak with you, the Commission has recorded over 158 convictions. At this rate, I am confident that we will surpass the record of 189 convictions achieved in 2017.
In terms of assets recovery, the figures from January to August 2018 stood at One Hundred and Six Billion, Five Hundred and Sixteen Million, Two Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty-Three naira, Sixty-Eight Kobo (N106,516,222,383.68),
One Million, Six Hundred and Thirty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Five Dollar, Eighty-One Cent ($1,635,925.81),
Six Hundred and Twenty- nine thousand, One Hundred and Ninety-three Pounds, 65 pence (GBP 629,193.65) and Twenty-five Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy- Five EURO (EURO 25,575).
Remarkable as this feat is, we are not resting on our oars.
We believe there is still a lot to be done, which is the reason we are actively seeking the support of all stakeholders, including the media.
Gentlemen of the press, we do not pretend to have a monopoly of knowledge on how to win the war against corruption. The anti-corruption campaign requires a concerted effort. I enjoin members of the public, including the media, to be part of this effort by reporting cases of corruption to the EFCC.
Petitions and complaints can be forwarded to the Commission by email via:info@efccnigeria.org.
Once again, I thank you for your commitment to the fight against corruption.
Remarks by
Ibrahim Magu
Ag. Chairman, EFCC at Meeting with Media Executives
Conference Room, EFCC, Lagos Zone,
September 5, 2018
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