Nigerians were told for those who cared to listen, that The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is a Nigerian law enforcement agency, that investigates financial crimes, such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud), and money laundering.
The EFCC was established in 2003, partially in response to pressure from the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, FATF, which named Nigeria as one of 23 countries non-cooperative in the international community’s efforts to fight money laundering.
Under the first EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, a Northerner, the agency addressed financial corruption, by prosecuting and convicting a number of high-profile corrupt individuals, ranging from Nigeria’s former chief law enforcement officer, to several bank Chief Executives.
In September 2006, the EFCC had 31 of Nigeria’s 36 State Governors under investigation for corruption.
In April 2008, the EFCC began an investigation of the very influential daughter of the former Nigerian President, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, for receiving N10 million ($100,000), stolen from the Ministry of Health.
On June 6, 2008, Chief (Mrs) Farida Mzamber Waziri, another Northerner, was sworn-in as the new Chairperson of the EFCC.
Waziri was later dismissed by former President, Goodluck Jonathan, on 23 November 2011, and replaced by Ibrahim Lamorde, as Acting Chairman, who was confirmed on the 15th February 2012, by the Nigerian Senate.
Ibrahim Magu, was later appointed as the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, by President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2015.
At a glance, below is the list of EFCC Chairmen from 2003 till date, all Police Officers of Northern extraction.
Nuhu Ribadu | 2003-2007 | First EFCC chairman
Farida Mzamber Waziri |2008-2011
Ibrahim Lamorde | 2011-2015
Ibrahim Magu | 2015 till date | Current Chairman of the EFCC.
May I say without fear of contradiction that historically, political appointments by the Federal Government has been on ethnic and tribal lines.
The system not only dehumanizes the excluded group, but it also leads to discrimination and conflict. Tribal and ethnic discrimination is responsible to a large extent for the dis-unification of Nigeria, corruption, mismanagement, and administrative ineptitude.
The British colonial masters flung together diverse ethnic, religious, and regional communities, and named it Nigeria.
The Brits exploited our differences and played Yorubas, Hausas, and Igbos, against each other, thus reinforced their control over us.
The skewed composition and growing non-representative of important Director-Generals, Deputies, Managers, and the composition of Federal Agencies, reflect complete Northernization.
The rejection of Magu raises far-reaching important questions: Why is it that only Hausa-Fulanis have continuously being appointed as EFCC Chairmen?
Section 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 says: the “Commission shall consist of the following members – (a) a Chairman, who shall – (i) be the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Commission. (ii) be a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent; and (iii) Possess not less than 15 years cognate experience.”
Why are only men from security or law enforcement or the Police, qualified to head the agency? What about other professionals with law and criminal justice background? What is the rationale behind the requirements for the EFCC Chairman?
Since the inception of the EFCC, no Igbo or Yoruba has been appointed as the Chairman of the anti-graft agency.
Does it mean only Hausa-Fulanis possess the prescribed qualifications in the 2004 Act? Are there no Yorubas or Igbos in the security or law enforcement in the specified Police rank that qualify as EFCC boss?
What special academic qualifications and special professional skills do the past Hausa-Fulanis who headed the EFCC in the past, and the current Acting Chair possess, that no Igbo or Yoruba has?
Yorubas and Igbos feel cheated, dehumanized, and excluded. We expect Buhari’s “government of change” to forge an inclusive country.
The present arrangement, whereby only a particular ethnic takes the lion’s share of the prized positions, is a recipe for a static, stunted, and failed nation. Tribalism, nepotism are all forms of corruption.
Our political leaders have often exploit tribal loyalty to advance personal gain, parochial interests, patronage, and cronyism.
There are millions of Yorubas and Igbos who are more qualified, more competent, and more capable to be the next EFCC Chairman. I rest my case.
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