The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has condemned the Federal Government for the merging of its two anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.
The merger of the two commissions came as part of the government’s decision to implement the recommendations of Steve Orosanye-led Presidential Committee on rationalization and restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.
Reacting to the news of the merger, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran described the FG’s action as a wrong step in wrong direction.
He said, “It is very unfortunate that our government misplaces its priority. The Federal Executive Council could reject the scrapping of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and transferring their functions to a department under Ministry of Foreign Affairs as advised by Orosanye’s Committee, but the same body could endorse the merging of the two anti-graft agencies.
This shows that our leaders are only paying lip service to the fight against corruption in the country because the merging of EFCC and ICPC is antithetical to the spirit of fight against corruption. It is a well known fact that these two agencies are even overstretched.”
Speaking further, the human rights activist stressed the need to create more anti-graft agencies instead of merging the existing ones.
“We need more anti-graft agencies to complement the effort of the existing ones, especially at the rate at which corruption is growing in our public and private sectors. There is need to create anti-graft agencies that will specialize in different areas of crimes instead of whittling down the power of the existing ones through merger.”
Abimbola Adegoke
Media Officer, CACOL
02 July, 2013