By Alltimepost.com
Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has attributed the gains in the fight against Boko Haram in the North East to greater transparency in the use of resources by the military.
Magu was speaking on December 2, 2016 when he visited the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
According to him, corruption was responsible for the poor handling of the battle against the fundamentalist in the North Eastern part of the country but expressed delight that the tide has changed.
The EFCC boss commended the COAS for the transformation. “We know your hands are full, but you are doing very well. Two years before now, nobody was able to visit Maiduguri and other parts of the North East, but today, I can take a flight after close of work today and spend the weekend in Maiduguri.
“We commend you for your selflessness, your patriotism and your professionalism. The fight against corruption in the Nigerian Army as championed by your leadership is majorly responsible for the success achieved in the fight against Boko Haram. When Soldiers allowances are embezzled, then their morale will be dampened and that is a serious security threat”.
He also said he was visiting the army to seek its continued support in the fight against economic and financial crimes as EFCC alone cannot fight the corruption war. “I want to inform the military through your office, of the forth coming Women Against Corruption (WAC) project which will be flagged –off by the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari at the International Conference Centre on December 7, 2016
In his response, Gen. Buratai pledged support to the EFCC in achieving its mandate.
“We are proud of you; you have made Nigerians proud in the discharge of your duties. Nigerians have for a very long time, forgotten that basic responsibility of being accountable to yourself, family, place of work and the society at large. The unfortunate erosion of these attributes has affected the country as a whole”.
He continued, “Corruption is a cankerworm, a cancer that has eaten deep into the fabric of our society. I know that attempt to tackle it will be resisted, but no matter the resistance, I assure you that you will succeed”, he said.
The army chief informed that to demonstrate his zero tolerance for corruption, he had to declare his assets on the first day of assumption of duty, and “I made all my officers and men do likewise within two months of my assumption. But mischief and pressure groups indifferent to the administration took advantage of that effort but they did not succeed to malign the government and the Army as an institution”, he said.
