Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said that as long as he remains in office, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Alhaji Ibrahim Magu will continue to remain as the Commission’s boss, The Guardian reports.
The statement came 48 hours after the Senate asked the acting president to remove the EFCC boss.
Represented by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, at the commissioning of the Kaduna zonal office of the EFCC, Professor Osinbajo said he had the same confidence and conviction President Muhammadu Buhari had about Magu’s capability to function effectively in the office of the EFCC.
Osinbajo said: “Shortly before the President left the country, I asked him about Ibrahim Magu and the President said he believes in what he is doing. He has his support. I want to also affirm here that Magu has my support. As far as I remain the acting President, Magu remains”.
EFCC boss, Magu in an address urged the Federal Government to immediately embark on the building of a prison in Sambisa forest for those arrested and convicted of corruption.
However, he explained that for the prison to become a reality, the judiciary arm of government should cooperate with the Commission.
He said that illegal monies are likely to be abandoned by corrupt persons at the nation’s airport and other places in near future as it happened at Kaduna airport some few months ago. Magu warned that if concerted efforts were not made to rid the country of corruption, the monster will infest the citizens and adversely affect the nation’s economy.
Said he: “We want to call for the establishment of a prison in Sambisa forest in order to keep away corrupt people from our midst. In this case, the judiciary has direct influence to help in the fight against corruption. But concerted efforts are being made by some big Nigerians to neutralise the fight against corruption”.
“We must change the narrative by fighting back those that do not want the fight to succeed. I remain committed to the fight against corruption, and I commend the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for encouraging EFCC to establish a zonal office in Kaduna. We must, therefore, join hands together to kill corruption before corruption will kill us”.
Meanwhile Speaking in his capacity as the Kaduna state governor, El-Rufai disclosed that the anti-graft agency had helped his government to recover over N500m from immediate past government officials who had milked the treasury.
He said the state government is ready to provide land for the EFCC training school in the state as well as for the building of their staff quarters.
Earlier, a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee, Professor Femi Odekunle pointed out that the presidential committee is behind Magu for his commitment in the fight against corruption.
Odekunle said, “We are not going to be cajoled by any technicalities. We will support the commission because most of our leaders are corrupt”.
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