Wahab Shittu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has voiced his concerns regarding the consistent instability in the leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since its establishment. Shittu highlights the irregular changes in leadership within the EFCC, despite the agency’s significance, which tarnishes the country’s reputation by implying an inability to appoint competent leaders to head the organization.
The recent suspension of EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday adds to a series of similar removals of EFCC chairmen, including Nuhu Ribadu, Farida Waziri, Ibrahim Lamorde, and Ibrahim Magu.
Shittu expressed his worry during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, emphasizing that the EFCC is not merely a local institution but an international one due to the global nature of the fight against corruption. He stated that the international community takes a keen interest in combating corruption, just as it does in addressing terrorism.
Shittu argued that corruption and terrorism are issues of international significance that transcend local or domestic concerns. He pointed out that frequent leadership changes within an essential institution like the EFCC convey negative signals to the international community, suggesting a lack of stability within the country. This, in turn, raises concerns about the EFCC’s ability to withstand challenges, which should be a matter of general concern for Nigerians.
“In terms of concern, it gives us a lot of concern [for] an office, an institution of that magnitude because the EFCC is not a local institution,” Shittu, who appeared on the Friday edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, stated.
It’s an international institution because the war against corruption is of international dimension. The international community is interested in the subject of corruption in the way it is interested in the subject of terrorism.”
When asked about the reasons behind the frequent changes in leadership, Shittu simply attributed it to vested interests. He stressed that the fight against corruption is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. He further stated that corruption and impunity are significant obstacles to the country’s development and progress, identifying them as the primary factors hindering Nigeria’s developmental processes.
