Anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria are planning joint operations to combat the fight against economic and financial crimes in Nigeria. The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, disclosed this when he said that such a robust inter-agency collaboration will push the anti-graft war to the next level.
Lamorde made the call when heads of anti-corruption agencies met with Justice for All, J4A, at the EFCC head office to discuss the way forward in the fight against economic and financial crimes.
The two other agencies that met with the J4A at the EFCC head office and spoke along the same line of joint operation were the Independent and Corrupt Practices and other Related Commission, ICPC, led by the acting Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta and the Code of Conduct Bureau led by the chairman, Mr. Sam Saba.
According to Lamorde, the J4A should design a program which should be extended beyond the head of the anti –graft agencies. “Joint operation which should involve all the anti-corruption agencies is a useful forum to share ideas, to see how to move the fight against corruption forward”, he said, adding that the meeting should go beyond the heads of the anti-graft agencies, to the operatives who do the job.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bob Arnot, National Programme Manager, J4A Programme, has disclosed that a substantial part of a planned budget of between thirty five to fifty million pounds in the next four months will go into the operations of the anti-corruption agencies.
His words, “Our programme originally will start from a range of thirty five to fifty million pounds; probably before Christmas. One of the areas that we are particularly looking into is the anti-corruption agencies. We are thinking about doubling the budget for that area. This is a testimony to the fact of the work my colleagues have done and also the relationship we have built with you. We are looking at an interventionist programme before Christmas”, he promised.
Officials that accompanied Dr. Arnot for the meeting were Emmanuel Uche, Component Manager, J4A; Paul Beggar, Consultant, Anti-Corruption J4A; Dr. Cephas Lerewonu, Consultant Anti-Corruption J4A; Anthony Oluborode, Consultant Anti-Corruption Prosecution, J4A; Isabella Ada Ezeh, Consultant Anti-Corruption J4A; Otsemaye Newton, Component Officer, J4A and Colin Walker, J4A Component 3.