Call EFCC chairman to order, AYCF tells Buhari
By: Femi Mustapha
The Arewa Youth Consulting Forum ((AYCF) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdurrashid Bawa to order so that some of his contemptuous attitudes will not undermine the image of the current administration.
The National President of the Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, stated this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.
The statement stated that as much as the Forum will not stop the EFCC chairman from doing his job; they believe there is a need for caution.
The Forum added that it has been following closely the Commission’s hasty moves to nail another Northern Governor, Mohammed Bello Matawalle.
The AYCF added that the EFCC as an institution of public service that is crucial to sanitizing Nigeria should not be pulled down by the actions of one man.
“The current EFCC led by Abdurrashid Bawa is losing steam too fast, compared to what was obtained during the era of Nuhu Ribadu, Farida, and Lamorde.
“This is a very worrisome standard and the current leadership of the agency must fasten its belt and stop this downward slide in operational standards.
“The EFCC is meant to be an agency with uncompromising standards that should be a reflection of our domestic and international image in the fight against corruption.
“Why would Belsha Printing Press that Matawalle established before he even became State Governor be shut down now?
“What kind of law gave the agency the powers to shut down a private business that predates the owner’s emergence as governor? This is really distracting for a governor giving Zamfara his best shot.
“It is on record that Governor Matawalle has been able to stabilize Zamfara State more than his predecessors.
“There is peace in the State today because of his modified security strategy. Is the EFCC now deliberately trying to undermine these laudable achievements by launching a media trial in broad daylight?
“Our advice to the EFCC is that it should strive to project its original image of an agency meant to fight corruption using the instrumentality of the law, under a democratic atmosphere.
“The agency should always do their homework well before making their presence in the media on any matter.
“The current case of the Zamfara State Governor, Mohammed Bello Matawalle is unacceptable, a smear on decorum and misapplication of the instruments of checkmating official corruption.
“That the Governor is insisting that the EFCC should search his residence means he has nothing to hide and that the agency has not done its homework well.
“This is worrisome and a repeat will have dire local and international consequences for Nigeria’s image. Ours is not the only country in the world that has an anti-corruption agency and we should not be seen to be a reflection of the opposite.” The statement reads.
