MAGU: BUHARI’S ANTI-CORRUPTION FIGHT IS AT A CROSS ROADS, ANEEJ SAYS.

17 MARCH, 2017

PRESS RELEASE

BENIN CITY….The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise and assert himself in the fight against corruption as signals emerging from the non-confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu shows strongly that the anti-corruption crusade is at a cross roads.

The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria last week, through a voice vote rejected for the second time the confirmation of Mr. Magu as the substantive chairman of the EFCC, a situation ANEEJ says has less than salutary repercussions for the presidency and the country.

“The non-confirmation of Magu erodes the anti-corruption credibility of President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime. There appears to be some infighting by some unseen forces in the drama that is playing out. The current situation seems to be giving an unrestrained license for the corrupt elite to swamp the system’, Executive Director of ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor averred.

“We are at some cross-roads as far as the war against corruption is concerned and we expect Mr. President to rise up to the challenge and assert himself. We know that when you fight corruption, corruption fights back. Mr. President should take some concrete steps to show that he oversees the Presidency and not some cabal.

‘’The seeming inability of the organs within the Presidency to work together exposes a problem of coordination amongst the anti-corruption agencies. These agencies ought to be working together and not to be promoting unhealthy rivalry amongst themselves.” Rev Ugolor said.

‘’ANEEJ believes that there is a strong need for transparency and accountability around asset recovery in Nigeria. Nigerians want to be briefed regularly as to how much or what was recovered and how recovered assets are being managed or disposed of. It must be seen to be re-ploughed in a way that it benefits the victims of corruption. This is important so as to give Nigerians a sense of belonging and clarity in the spirit of the recently signed on Open Governance Partnership (OGP).

“This fight against corruption is not about the person of Magu. But what is happening around his non-confirmation is sending a very wrong signal about the country’s war on corruption. The nation’s anti-corruption fight is under threat and we want President Buhari to see it from our lens,” ANEEJ executive director said.