‘New EFCC Hqrts, best anti-graft office in the world’
Delegates including senior officials at the recent Forum of anti-corruption experts around the world in Colombo, Sri Lanka, have described the new headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as the best anti-graft office in the world.
The Forum, which started its meeting on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 and concluded deliberations at the weekend, also described the EFCC headquarters as a worthy anti-graft office, saying that the edifice is worthy of emulation.
President Muhammadu Buhari had commissioned the EFCC headquarters on May 15, 2018.
The Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, who also witnessed the commissioning of the multi-billion naira anti-graft office, also commended the EFCC and Nigeria for the state of the art edifice.
It is instructive to note that the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu, attended the event with heads of other anti-graft agencies worldwide.
The Global Expert Group also adopted the Jakarta Principles and its terms of reference to reduce corruption to barest level in the world.
The Jakarta Principles are set of principles adopted by experts and practitioners to strengthen the effectiveness of anti-corruption authorities around the world.
The principles are enshrined in the Jakarta Statement on Principles for Anti-Corruption Agencies, adopted in November 2012 at a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, bringing together current and former heads of anti-corruption authorities, anti-corruption practitioners and experts.
The Daily Times recalls that Magu had said the EFCC used N24 billion to build the commission’s new headquarters costs five times below the real property value.
He added the EFCC was built with a bargain price of N24billion instead of the N100 billion estimated valuation.
The anti-corruption czar further dispelled the suggestion that the sum of N24 billion was too much for the value of the property.
Magu explained that the commission was able to build the skyscraper and other surrounding buildings constructed by Julius Berger Plc at what he considered a conservative rate by direct supervision and handing over the money to the developers without involvement of the middlemen.
