EFCC alone cannot fight, win war against corruption – Lamorde

The EFCC chairman said collaboration with the Custom Service will help in its fight against corruption.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,Ibrahim Lamorde, has called for the establishment of an Integrity Unit in the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, saying such an innovation will be a rallying point for the promotion of transparency and accountability towards achieving its mandate to the nation.

Mr. Lamorde made the call on Tuesday during a one-day anti-corruption sensitization road walk organised by the Enlightenment and Re-orientation Unit of the EFCC for heads and members of staff of both organizations.

He explained that the road walk was designed to take the anti-graft campaign to the workplace, and encourage workers to buy–in as the EFCC alone cannot fight and win the war against corruption in Nigeria.

The EFCC chairman acknowledged the assistance received from the Custom Service in terms of secondment of the service’s finest staffs to the EFCC, especially early in the life of the commission.

“Those officers, I make bold to say, contributed in no small way to whatever modest success that are ascribed to the EFCC, today’’.

The EFCC boss underscored the importance of the workshop when he said that the program is in fulfillment of the mandate of the Commission, as stated in Section 6 of the EFCC Act, which requires the Commission to, in addition to its enforcement responsibilities, take measures to prevent the commission of economic crimes through aggressive public enlightenment and education.

Mr. Lamorde commended the Controller General of the Service, Dikko Abdullahi, for accepting to partner with EFCC to fight corruption which he described as a monster.

He added that on the account of the collaboration between the two agencies, many economic saboteurs and other sundry criminals have been stopped from wrecking underserved havoc on the nation’s economy.

In his response, Mr. Abdullahi commended the EFCC boss for the worthy partnership to cooperate and spread the message that together we are forging a united stand against corruption.

“In the past, customs and EFCC collaboration have been a reference point for best practices. Both have worked closely in special joint operations, investigations and training; and we are glad to say that the relationship has extended to frontiers of our collaboration to fight corruption,” Mr. Abdullahi said.

“In synergy, we are sending strong signals to all economic saboteurs that they now face a more difficult task to evade payment of customs duty or smuggling of prohibited goods through our borders,” the custom boss added.

Mr. Abdullahi said that in embarking on the anti-corruption journey, the Custom Service has prepared its officers for zero tolerance on corruption. He called on stakeholders and the generality of Nigerians to support the campaign to instill integrity into Customs operation.

The program, he said will feature workshops on financial and economic crimes at the Customs headquarters, Lagos, Kaduna and Port Harcourt Zonal commands of the Service.

The campaign by the EFCC had earlier been extended to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC Ministry of Transport, ACTU, among others.

Source: http://premiumtimesng.com/news/national/138514-efcc-alone-cannot-fight-win-war-against-corruption-lamorde.html

EFCC alone cannot fight, win war against corruption – Lamorde

The EFCC chairman said collaboration with the Custom Service will help in its fight against corruption.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,Ibrahim Lamorde, has called for the establishment of an Integrity Unit in the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, saying such an innovation will be a rallying point for the promotion of transparency and accountability towards achieving its mandate to the nation.

Mr. Lamorde made the call on Tuesday during a one-day anti-corruption sensitization road walk organised by the Enlightenment and Re-orientation Unit of the EFCC for heads and members of staff of both organizations.

He explained that the road walk was designed to take the anti-graft campaign to the workplace, and encourage workers to buy–in as the EFCC alone cannot fight and win the war against corruption in Nigeria.

The EFCC chairman acknowledged the assistance received from the Custom Service in terms of secondment of the service’s finest staffs to the EFCC, especially early in the life of the commission.

“Those officers, I make bold to say, contributed in no small way to whatever modest success that are ascribed to the EFCC, today’’.

The EFCC boss underscored the importance of the workshop when he said that the program is in fulfillment of the mandate of the Commission, as stated in Section 6 of the EFCC Act, which requires the Commission to, in addition to its enforcement responsibilities, take measures to prevent the commission of economic crimes through aggressive public enlightenment and education.

Mr. Lamorde commended the Controller General of the Service, Dikko Abdullahi, for accepting to partner with EFCC to fight corruption which he described as a monster.

He added that on the account of the collaboration between the two agencies, many economic saboteurs and other sundry criminals have been stopped from wrecking underserved havoc on the nation’s economy.

In his response, Mr. Abdullahi commended the EFCC boss for the worthy partnership to cooperate and spread the message that together we are forging a united stand against corruption.

“In the past, customs and EFCC collaboration have been a reference point for best practices. Both have worked closely in special joint operations, investigations and training; and we are glad to say that the relationship has extended to frontiers of our collaboration to fight corruption,” Mr. Abdullahi said.

“In synergy, we are sending strong signals to all economic saboteurs that they now face a more difficult task to evade payment of customs duty or smuggling of prohibited goods through our borders,” the custom boss added.

Mr. Abdullahi said that in embarking on the anti-corruption journey, the Custom Service has prepared its officers for zero tolerance on corruption. He called on stakeholders and the generality of Nigerians to support the campaign to instill integrity into Customs operation.

The program, he said will feature workshops on financial and economic crimes at the Customs headquarters, Lagos, Kaduna and Port Harcourt Zonal commands of the Service.

The campaign by the EFCC had earlier been extended to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC Ministry of Transport, ACTU, among others.

Source: http://premiumtimesng.com/news/national/138514-efcc-alone-cannot-fight-win-war-against-corruption-lamorde.html

Prisons Service debunks N50,000 bribery allegation

THE Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) has debunked a claim by a robbery suspect, Mr Samodu Dawopale, that prison officers at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons, Lagos, demanded N50,000 to secure his release, after the order of an Appeal Court quashing his death sentence.

The 48-year-old suspect, who regained freedom after 14 years of incarceration, had alleged that prisons officers “wanted me to part with N50,000 to secure my release.”

But the Public Relations Officer of the service, Mr Ope Fatinikun, said the allegation was frivolous and unfounded.

“Where will an inmate condemned to death for about 14 years ago have N50,000 in the first place for him to make such allegation? That is frivolous and unfounded,” he said.

The death sentence was earlier passed on him by an Ijebu-Ode High Court 10 years ago, but was quashed by an Appeal Court in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, in May this year.

Fatinikun explained that what delayed his release was the effort to confirm the authenticity of the court’s order served the prisons by his lawyer.

According to him, the Appeal Court’s order for his release was served the prisons service on May 31, which was Friday, but prisons officers had to travel to Ibadan for confirmation of the papers on Monday, which was two days after because of the weekend.

He said unfortunately, they could not get the confirmation until June 6, adding that by then, Dawopale had called his lawyer, who told him that he had brought his release warrant since May 31.

According to him, Dawopale, in the process, became impatient and started causing commotion, even when prisons officers explained to him that they were awaiting confirmation before honouring the order of the court.

“There was every need for us to exercise fears, because somebody was condemned to death and anybody can frame up anything just to secure his release. When the papers were confirmed by the Appeal Court in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, he was released accordingly,” he said.

Source: http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/en/news/item/14083-prisons-service-debunks-n50,000-bribery-allegation.html

SERAP Seeks Review of UN Convention on Corruption

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged nations, which are parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption to “take steps to review the convention in a manner that will ensure that victims of corruption receive appropriate remedies and compensation for the devastating effects it causes disadvantaged groups.”

In a presentation by SERAP Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, to a delegates, convention on corruption in Vienna, Austria recently, the organisation said: “Both articles 34 and 35 of the convention, which require states to address the consequences of corruption and pay compensation to victims seem to give considerable latitude to countries in determining the parameters of their application by subjecting these to the fundamental principles of the state’s domestic law.”

“The problem is that there are huge gaps in the laws of many states, including my own country Nigeria, that has failed to effectively implement these provisions despite the fact that Nigeria has ratified the convention,” the organisation stated to the gathering of the states’ delegates known as the International Review Group.

The Implementation Review Group held its fourth session in Vienna from 27 to 31 May 2013 The group was established by the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in its resolution 3/1, entitled “Review mechanism”, as an open-ended intergovernmental group of States parties to operate under its authority and report to it. The Group’s mandate is to ensure effective implementation of the convention

According to the organisation, “articles 34 and 35 provisions are far reaching, and will undoubtedly enhance deterrence by creating additional weapons: civil and administrative sanctions but their potential will not be realised unless states exercise the required political will to make necessary changes in their laws.

“Articles 34 and 35 provisions are written exactly for regions like Africa (including my country Nigeria) where large scale corruption has had huge consequences in terms of undermining the well-being of the citizens and denying them the chance for personal development and prosperity. These victims of corruption hardly receive any compensation.” 

The group added that: “The two articles signal a resolve on the part of negotiators of the UNCAC to unleash the power of private civil litigation and collateral legal and administrative sanctions on persons that commit corrupt practices. Moreover, recalling the difficulties associated with the investigation and prosecution of offences, the evidence obtained from civil trials could be used in on-going investigations or in future criminal trials.”

Based on this, SERAP urged the representatives of states parties to: “Develop guidelines to encourage a consistent and universal enforcement of articles 34 and 35 provisions on the domestic front in a manner that will favour victims of corruption. Suggested elements of any such guidelines may include reaffirmation of commitment by states parties to the provisions of articles 34 and 35 in particular and the UNCAC in general; specific commitment to review and harmonise national laws to implement articles 34 and 35 provisions in a way that will allow victims of corruption to seek remedies before national institutions and courts, as well as commitment to involve civil society groups in the review and harmonisation of any such laws; ensure that their governments enact national laws on civil remedies against corruption.

This will be fulfilling the requirements of Articles 34 and 35. States should also consistently encourage victims of corruption to use the human rights framework to file cases for compensation not only against multinational corporations but also against corrupt public officials; establish a complaint mechanism for victims of corruption within the context of the UN Convention against corruption to allow victims to file complaints before this body. This is clearly feasible and practicable if there is necessary political will to make it happen; establish a global trust fund for victims of corruption. This is already happening for victims of international crimes recognised under the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court. There is no reason why the same cannot be done in serious cases of corruption. Trust funds for victims of corruption would help to address the developmental needs of the victims of corruption.”

Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/serap-seeks-review-of-un-convention-on-corruption/149318/

Corruption may destroy Nigeria, says Agunloye

FORMER Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu Agunloye, has called on the leadership of the country to urgently address the issue of corruption by ensuring that those found culpable are duly made to face the law.

Noting that if there is any factor that may quickly lead to the disintegration of the country on or before 2015 as predicted 14 years ago by America, he said the lackadaisical attitude through which government handles the magnitude of corruption in the country is major.

Speaking with The Guardian Monday on the topic: “Why the polity is currently tensed up ahead of 2015 elections”, Agunloye said: “Corruption is growing at a dangerous trend to the extent that Nigerians have totally lost confidence in governance; the youth have lost confidence in the elders and their leaders. There is political, economic and moral corruption; it is breathing and pushing the country to a brink.”

The former Minister of Power and Steel, who also served as Minister of State for Defence, said corruption has bred injustice, inequality and nepotism in the country “a situation where Nigeria is rated among the countries in the world with the largest number of poor people and also the largest number of billionaires, is unjust and unfair. A situation where past public officers, particularly governors, are called to account for billions and trillions of naira and at the end, nothing comes out, is making governance to lose value.”

He also said the perceived second-term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan is another factor tensing up the polity. According to him, “The quest to control power at the centre has not only been ethnicised but is currently being pursued at selfish ends. There is no doubt that the perceived second term ambition of President Jonathan is part of the reasons the polity is now under serious tension as we witnessed before the 2011 general elections when the ruling Peoples Democratic (PDP nearly polarised the country based on their internal zoning arrangement.

“I believe Jonathan ought not to have contested for power in 2011 as I said suggested then. He had the best opportunity then to conduct a free and fair election, no matter whose ox was gored if he had not participated,” he noted, adding that a situation where elections are perceived not to be free and fair would also generate crises, injustice and other serious vices.

It is unfortunate now that the situation has even gone beyond Jonathan’s ambition; ethnic sentiment and personal interest are now the determining factors for whom to rule the country instead of collective interest, he added.

While blaming Nigerians for getting what they deserved by accepting undue inducement from politicians during elections, Agunloye said it is unfortunate that politicians and the few who have cornered the wealth of the country usually take advantage of poverty in the land.

Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=123564:corruption-may-destroy-nigeria-says-agunloye-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

NIMN boss urges Nigerians to be patriotic in fight against corruption

President of National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Dr Lugard Aimiuwu, on Wednesday urged Nigerians to be patriotic in the fight against corruption.
Aimiuwu, who made the call in an interview in Lagos, said that Nigeria had cause to celebrate Democracy Day in spite of the level of corruption.
He described corruption as an ‘old demon’ that had ravaged the nation for a long period and had deprived ordinary citizens of dividends of democracy.
Aimiuwu said that apart from corruption and abuse of office, some other deviant behaviour like extremism had  crept in.
He said that the game plan of the extremists was to scatter the country in order to create a situation for disintegration.
The expert said that in spite of these challenges, Nigeria was still strong as a united entity.
“The right noises are being made when you talk about democracy and there is cause for celebration.
“This is because the will of the nation has been tested and tested over and over again in a number of areas.
“Somehow or the other, the worst has not happened; there has not been any disintegration.”
Aimiuwu said that no Nigerian leader had come out to declare hostilities, which he said, showed that Nigeria was still a single entity.
He said that Nigeria was now ready to put a price on corruption which was a good development.
 “Once a nation could do that, it shows that the nation is already finding a solution to it.
 “An example of that is that it is always an issue in public discussion and people have never stopped to talk about it.
“Morally, we are in a right direction for democratic dispensation,” he said.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.ng/article/nimn-boss-urges-nigerians-be-patriotic-fight-against-corruption

Jonathan seeks collaboration to fight corruption

President Goodluck Jonathan has said  the war to rid the country of corruption should not be left for his government alone, if the anti-graft war must succeed.

“In arresting the menace of corruption in Nigeria, we must understand that it is not a fight to be left for the government alone. Rather, it would require a concerted effort by individuals from all sectors to complement the effort of the government,” Jonathan said in his 234-page mid-term report presented to Nigerians last Wednesday, as part of activities marking the nation’s Democracy Day, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent.

The President said he was convinced that corruption must also be fought with every sense of diligence it deserved by government and individuals. Otherwise, he said, Nigeria’s sustainable development would be undermined with dire consequences on the economy, the citizenry and the nation’s collective image globally.

He said, “The citizens are, therefore, encouraged to work assiduously with government agencies in the fight against corruption.”

Jonathan identified weak rule of law and institutions as factors responsible for the continuous existence of pervasive corruption in the system, despite the efforts of his administration and his predecessors to tackle the scourge.

He said that was why his approach in fighting corruption was to focus on building strong institutions that had the capacity to overcome corrupt influences “and not just to sermonise about corruption.”

He said, “This approach uses the rule of law as a framework to fight corruption as a framework to fight corruption since corruption is a feature of weak rule of law and weak institutions.

“Fighting corruption through strengthening rule of law institutions and entrenching transparency and accountability mechanisms in the public service procurement and project implementation is efficacious because corruption is primarily a derogation of rule-based system.”

Jonathan said his administration was determined to make Nigeria a key global economic power, and therefore, recognised that it could not tolerate any degree of corruption.

He added that as long as Nigeria was widely perceived as corrupt, it would be difficult to attract the level of investment required to fast-track economic growth to protect the honour and dignity of Nigerians across the world.

According to him, corruption constitutes a major disincentive for investment in the Nigerian economy and increases the cost of governance and doing business.

He added that the scourge constituted a direct and inordinate taxation on the people.

He observed that the widespread international perception of Nigeria as a corrupt country had caused incalculable damage to the dignity and honour of many honest and diligent Nigerians and to the country’s global competitiveness.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-seeks-collaboration-to-fight-corruption/