In a recent interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Auwal Rafsanjani, the Head of Transparency International, Nigeria, expressed that the suspension of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, did not come as a surprise to the organization. Rafsanjani, who is also the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), shared his views on the matter in Abuja.
The suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa was announced by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, through a statement released by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Bawa’s suspension came as a result of “weighty allegations of abuse of office” leveled against him.
Speaking about the suspension, Rafsanjani stated, “The suspension did not come to us by surprise, this is because of the way and manner the previous regimes or governments have always removed the EFCC leaders when they come into power.” He further elaborated, “For this development, with regard to the removal of the EFCC chairman, we believe that already we knew that he was going to be removed because of so many political interests and changes that can happen.”
Rafsanjani speculated that President Tinubu might not likely retain Bawa due to his appointment process and political affiliations. “He will want to get rid of anything that has to do with that,” he added. The executive director also pointed out that certain politicians associated with the government had issues with the suspended EFCC chairman, making them uncomfortable with his continued presence in office.
Commenting on the politicization of the EFCC, Rafsanjani remarked, “The EFCC office has been unnecessarily made to be too much political. Therefore, it is making it difficult to do what an ordinary government agency is supposed to do.” He emphasized the need to consider this aspect and stressed that he was not surprised by the turn of events.
Nevertheless, Rafsanjani emphasized the importance of maintaining the fight against corruption and urged the government to go beyond political considerations when appointing the next EFCC chairman. “In appointing the next one, I think first and foremost, let’s make that office a technical professional office,” he suggested. “Let’s make it less political, let us remove the use of that to settle political issues. I think we need to have a credibly experienced, fairly minded person to carry out that responsibility,” he concluded.
As the EFCC chairman’s suspension sparks discussions and speculations, stakeholders and the public remain focused on the need for an effective and unbiased anti-corruption agency to ensure transparency and accountability in Nigeria.
Comments are closed.