The Initiative for Ethics and Value Orientation, Northern Youth Frontiers, Niger Delta Youth Congress, National Movement for Democratic Change, and 107 Anti Corruption Crusade Groups, on Friday, called for the immediate resignation of Chairman, Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
The groups, which also urged Bawa to surrender himself for investigation over allegations of corruption, said if he refused, he should be dismissed and subjected to a comprehensive probe.
In a statement by the National Coordinator, Niger Delta Youth Congress, Mr. Israel Uwejeyan; National Coordinator, of Initiative for Ethics and Value Orientation, Mr. Bello Idowu; National President, of Northern Youth Frontiers, Mr. Mustapha Musa; and Convener, National Movement for Democratic Change, Mr. Godfrey Osolase, they added that the incoming administration must ensure that sanitising the EFCC was a top priority.
The statement reads in part: “Like every other agency of government everywhere, there are global standards of practice for officials who had been accused of gross misconduct to step aside while investigations were conducted to ascertain the veracity of the allegations. As pointed out earlier several eminent Nigerians have claimed to possess evidence of alleged corrupt practices, breach of public trust, and abuse of office against the EFCC and its Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
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“It is based on the above observations that the Initiative for Ethics and Value Orientation, Northern Youth Frontiers, Niger Delta Youth Congress, National Movement for Democratic Change, and 107 Ant-Corruption Crusade Groups deem it necessary to demand that Abdulrasheed Bawa excuses himself from office and surrender for investigation.
“We demand that if Bawa remains adamant, he should be forced out and subjected to comprehensive probe the way his predecessor Ibrahim Magu was made to do. Since it is obvious by now that the Buhari administration which brought Abdulrasheed Bawa is not disposed to initiate action, we call on the incoming President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make it a first priority to cleanse the EFCC of corrupt leaders. Corruption is one of the most serious social and security challenges facing Nigeria today which is the more reason why Tinubu should see it as an existential matter that needs to be addressed and tackled robustly and defeated once and for all. No nation can aspire to greatness or seek to remain secure and safe when corruption and other corrupt practices are allowed to find their way into all its vital institutions including the agency saddled with the responsibility of fighting it.
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“For this reason, corruption must be confronted with the entire will and resolve of the incoming administration beginning with a thorough cleansing of the EFCC by first getting Bawa out and subjecting him to probe before extending action to cover other organs and tiers of government in Nigeria without exception.
“Failure to do so will indubitably mean that every effort made by the anti-graft agency is headed by suspicious leaders will defeat all development endeavours of the incoming administration and render its task more difficult and futile. We remind the President-elect that National challenges such as the corruption we are faced with should not be treated with levity and condescension. Neither should action be limited to targeted individuals or tiers of government. On the contrary, corruption is a cross-national issue that affects every one of us regardless of where we live or come from.”
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