The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said its attention has been drawn to a report in The Sun newspaper of Tuesday, May 26, 2015, entitled, ‘Jonathan Starved EFCC of Funds- Lamorde’, in which the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde was quoted as indicting the out-going Jonathan administration of poor performance.
The Commission said it takes exception to the report “which is pure fabrication by the author for reason best known to him”.
Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media and Publicity, in a statement said “In the first place, Lamorde who is currently out of the country did not speak with the media and could not have made the comments attributed to him by The Sun newspapers.
“The occasion that provided the basis for the false report by The Sun was a media briefing by Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson of the EFCC, who addressed more than 40 journalists from over 30 media organizations at the Commission’s monthly media briefing in Abuja on May 25, 2015.
“At no time during the event did Uwujaren comment on the performance or lack of it, by the Jonathan administration let alone accusing it of poor performance or starving the Commission of funds”.
The statement recalled that Uwujaren was only asked a question on the Commission’s view on the focus which the in-coming Buhari administration places on the fight against corruption, to which he responded that the Commission, like most Nigerians who are bothered about the problem of corruption, welcomes the focus which he believes will further empower the EFCC in the pursuit of its mandate of fighting economic crimes and corruption.
“It is a great disservice to society when journalists fabricates and twist issues to serve motives that are not altruistic,” the statement concluded.