Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said
that as long as he remains in office, the acting chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Alhaji Ibrahim Magu
will continue to remain as the Commission’s boss.
The statement came 48 hours after the
Senate asked the acting president to remove the EFCC boss.
Represented by the Kaduna State
Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, at the commissioning of the Kaduna
zonal office of the EFCC, Professor Osinbajo said he had the same
confidence and conviction President Muhammadu Buhari had about Magu’s
capability to function effectively in the office of the EFCC.
Osinbajo said: “Shortly before the
President left the country, I asked him about Ibrahim Magu and the
President said he believes in what he is doing. He has his support. I
want to also affirm here that Magu has my support. As far as I remain
the acting President, Magu remains”.
EFCC boss, Magu in an address urged the
Federal Government to immediately embark on the building of a prison
in Sambisa forest for those arrested and convicted of corruption.
However, he explained that for the
prison to become a reality, the judiciary arm of government should
cooperate with the Commission.
He said that illegal monies are likely
to be abandoned by corrupt persons at the nation’s airport and
other places in near future as it happened at Kaduna airport some few
months ago. Magu warned that if concerted efforts were not made to
rid the country of corruption, the monster will infest the citizens
and adversely affect the nation’s economy.
Said he: “We want to call for the
establishment of a prison in Sambisa forest in order to keep away
corrupt people from our midst. In this case, the judiciary has direct
influence to help in the fight against corruption. But concerted
efforts are being made by some big Nigerians to neutralise the fight
against corruption”.
“We must change the narrative by
fighting back those that do not want the fight to succeed. I remain
committed to the fight against corruption, and I commend the Kaduna
State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for encouraging EFCC to
establish a zonal office in Kaduna. We must, therefore, join hands
together to kill corruption before corruption will kill us”.
Meanwhile Speaking in his capacity as
the Kaduna state governor, El-Rufai disclosed that the anti-graft
agency had helped his government to recover over N500m from immediate
past government officials who had milked the treasury.
He said the state government is ready
to provide land for the EFCC training school in the state as well as
for the building of their staff quarters.
Earlier, a member of the Presidential
Advisory Committee, Professor Femi Odekunle pointed out that the
presidential committee is behind Magu for his commitment in the fight
against corruption.
Odekunle said, “We are not going to
be cajoled by any technicalities. We will support the commission
because most of our leaders are corrupt”.
-The Guardian
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