An Operational Manual For EFCC’s Abdulrasheed Bawa

A JOB LIKE NO OTHER: He has the most difficult job in Nigeria today. His office is almost more sensitive than Mr President’s. Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is like a cat on a hot plate. His office may be described as the crucible of all vices and viciousness in the land.

We say his office is most sensitive because he is in eternal conflict with corruption, the worst canker plaguing our country. He is privy to money crimes both at the highest and lowest levels; he must daily travel through the dark tunnels and sluiceways of money laundering and financial malfeasance. He and his team are put to the utmost tests and temptations as they plod the dark temples of mammon. It’s a job for the strong of mind and heart.

The job of the EFCC chairman is bound to make or mar you. It’s on record that no former helmsman of EFCC has come out unscathed.  They have all been tarred with the dark brush of corruption. Not one of them can walk the streets anymore with his head high. And it’s all so easy to get besmirched on this job.

And to boot, Abdulrasheed Bawa comes to the job as a fledgling young man. Only 41 years upon appointment last February, one dares say that there’s still a bit of experiencing and maturing required for such a high pressure cooker office. But he seems precocious and the sizzling mind of youth can be an advantage if properly directed. 

It is such direction that this article seeks to want to afford Mr. Bawa. Though he’s already about six months gone on the job, the auguries so far are dark; the signs are ominous. It portends to be a short-lived and much tainted tenure if he doesn’t backtrack from the current trajectory. 

Recall that Bawa is already tarred on arrival. He was accused of doing ‘job’ with seized oil-bearing trucks during his tour of duty in Port Harcourt, Rivers State only last year. He denied the allegations and was never found culpable. 

But blemished he is already and surely, lugs a heavy baggage. It is exactly for this reason that he must bend over double to prove himself worthy, to revamp the institution and come out of this assignment a knight in shinning armour.

ROAD TO GOLGOTHA:

Currently, there’s a waft of odious fumes coming out of the anti-graft agency. Nigerians are witnessing one too many untoward and unprofessional doings emanating from what ought to be a pristine, intellectual and disciplined corps. The story about town is that EFCC is now an “armed force” of sort, terrorising and brutalising suspects across the country. Tales abound but a few examples would suffice. 

First, yours truly has a first hand tale of a dead-of-the-night raid by EFCC goons (that’s the new image already) invading a quiet Umuguma neighbourhood, around the Specialist Hospital, Owerri, Imo State about a month ago. The heavily armed team had arrived the neighbourhood about 2.00 am in the morning and operated till about 4.00am. There had been shooting, banging, breaking down of doors which woke up the entire dwellers of the community most of whom thought vicious robbers had surrounded them.

After two hours, they reportedly drove off with about 50 young men and women in HiAce buses and Hilux trucks. Doors were knocked down, properties were destroyed. Some premises were attacked and destroyed only to find that they were in error. All of that would be collateral damage one supposes, or could the EFCC be sued for wilful and malicious damage?

Such a night raid at 1004 Flats, Victoria Island, Lagos had reportedly led to a man jumping to his death mistaking the intruders for armed robbers. 

In an Ibadan hotel, an Italy-based man was said to have been busted with his children at night. This action had stultified the man’s return to his Italy base with his family as they were held until they missed their flight. 

There is also the case of former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji who was accosted at the airport and his trip abroad aborted with much ignominy. His case has been on for about five years. He has undergone series of interrogations and even detention. He had never failed to present himself to the EFCC upon demand, and he is also a sitting senator. It served the anti graft agency and Nigeria generally no good to shoo him back from the airport as if he was about to runaway. He had not been found guilty by any court anyway.

AN OPERATIONAL MANUAL FOR MR BAWA:

Yours truly cannot begin to feign to understand the job of financial crimes bursting better than the helmsman on the beat. By Jove, Bawa, an economics graduate has trained with the best. And that includes the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI; the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FINCEN, among others. He is also the first non-police officer to head the EFCC. It means he carries no Nigeria Police baggage. 

But the EFCC needs an intellectual overhaul if not a far-reaching reform. 

First, cybercrimes and wire frauds may be on the rise, but this column wagers that these don’t represent the vortex or the most injurious of economic crimes in Nigeria. We understand that EFCC’s foreign partners may have an especial interest in the activities of ‘yahoo-yahoo’ boys, but these vices are mere drop in the ocean compared to public servants raiding the treasury and vandalizing our commonwealth. Thus, without loosing sight of the cyber criminals, the EFCC would do well to refocus a bit lest it may soon be branded Yahoo, Yahoo crimes commission.

Second, we urge the EFCC to focus a little more on banks and other financial institutions, civil and public servants as well as political appointees both at state and federal levels. These are the routes through which our treasury grow wings and fly away.

Third, EFCC has a resource material, in the Auditor-Generals’ annual reports. Merely following up on these reports would go a long way in boosting EFCC’s job.

Fourth, the unspent budgets in MDAs are rich lead materials for the agency to achieve breakthroughs.

Fifth, allocations to local councils across the country represent a pot pourri of sleaze. You only need to scratch the transactions a little to open a can of worms.

We think Bawa and his team need not chase in all directions. It should concentrate on two or three crucial areas where haemorrhage is most injurious. 

But most crucially, EFCC must work harder at preventing fraud and corruptive tendencies. For instance, how on earth do we still read stories of government officials stealing money in billions of naira from one source? Mr Bawa and his team must make a checklist of major loopholes where financial leakages may occur and block such.

Finally, we urge Bawa to endeavour to build a highly professional corps not much different from the FBI where he has had a stint. For instance, we heard that some of the so-called Yahoo boys are only stripped of their ‘riches’ and set free. This is represents a badge of dishonour for an anti-graft agency.

We expect the EFCC to be a well-run, tight-knit, exceptional outfit … a centre of excellence.