Four major geopolitical blocs in Nigeria, Southwest, Southeast, South-South and Middle Belt have rejected the nomination of Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa as Chairman-nominee of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), questioning his integrity for the job.
The rejection was contained in a joint statement by leaders of the four geopolitical zones as they tagged the appointment as anti-corruption deception by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Describing Buhari’s anti-corruption war as a joke, the leaders expressed sadness that the President was in the habit of appointing persons who have questions hanging on their integrity.
Below is the full statement:
“President Muhammadu Buhari has for the second time in 6 years forwarded another nominee to the Senate for confirmation as the Chairman of EFCC.
“Anti-corruption is a star programme of the President and a large part of his following is owed to the Anti-corruption propaganda on which a lot of Nigerians were sold.
“But walking the talk has been a challenge for the President as his first nominee, Ibrahim Magu remained unconfirmed in almost five years because of the damming report of the DSS on him which showed he is a man that should be running from anti-graft instead of looters running for him.
“As they are managing to clean up the Magu mess, he has put forward Mr Abdulraheed Bawa as a replacement.
“But facts coming out about his latest nominee show that the whole Anti-corruption war is a joke that can only impress the unwary.
“The anti-graft agency is said by reports to have asked Abdulrasheed Bawa to lead its field office in Lagos with effect from August 8, despite a probe of his alleged theft of confiscated proceeds of ill-gotten loot at his previous appointment in Port-Harcourt, Peoples Gazette for instance reported that
Mr. Bawa was in-charge of the Port-Harcourt zonal office last year when dozens of petrol-bearing trucks that were confiscated from suspected looters were abruptly auctioned off to his proxies at “ridiculous prices.”
“Three of his junior colleagues who were alarmed by the sheer mismanagement of priced public assets and other suspicious acts of Mr. Bawa took immediate steps to curb his excesses by filing anonymous complaints to the headquarters in Abuja,according to People Gazette.
“He was said to have been subsequently arrested and detained for several days in Port-Harcourt before Ibrahim Magu, erstwhile head of the agency, ordered his transfer to the agency’s training school in Abuja pending conclusion of investigation.
“The months-long investigation into Mr Bawa’s alleged corruption and a crackdown on Mr Magu and other ex-senior officials of the EFCC were yet to be concluded when he was tapped for the top job in Lagos, a development that underscores how dirty games play out under the regime
“The government said Magu and others were arrested and flushed out to save the EFCC from institutional damage,” an official said. “But how can you secure people’s confidence if you only trade one crooked officer for another?”
“We agree entirely.
“We call on the President to investigate and clear the air on the allegation against this direct cousin of the Attorney General of the Federation before Nigeria enters another Magu season.
“The anti-graft war has suffered so much damage of mismanagement under this regime and this may be the last straw to break the back of its camel.”
Yinka Odumakin
South West
Chief Guy Ikokwu
South East
Senator Bassey Henshaw
South South
Dr Isuwa Dogo
Middle Belt