The acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Umar Abdul Mohammed on Wednesday raised alarm over the kidnapping of commission’s Lawyers.
Mohammed expressed the concern during the 2020 budget performance and 2021 budget defence held at the instance of the House Committee on Financial Crimes, chaired by Hon. Isah Dutse affirmed that the Commission had earlier submitted details of all the recovered funds for legislative scrutiny.
Breakdown of the funds released as at September 2020 was N25.136 billion representing 70.8 per cent of total appropriation, out of which N21.98 billion out of N24.99 billion appropriated for personnel cost; N2.100 billion released out of N3.6 billion appropriated for overhead cost and N1.36 billion for capital expenditure.
According to him, out of the total releases, N18.23 billion representing 74.88 per cent has been fully utilized, while N21.397 billion has so far been released for the payment of salaries and allowances of staff between January and September.
Speaking earlier, Hon. Shehu Koko observed that the two anti-graft agencies namely: EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are entitled to five per cent cost of collection as applicable to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Other lawmakers who spoke during the session including Hon. Abdulganiyu Olododo also queried the N4 billion unutilized fund out of the N21 billion released for personnel cost, requested for “details of expenditure by the commission” as one of the agencies respected and feared in the country, just as he underscored the need for the Commission to “be open and accountable in whatever they are doing.”
On his part, Hon. Dutse who presided over the session requested for the update on the recruitment of 420 new staff in 2020 for which the personnel cost was increased in the 2020 Appropriation Act.
The lawmakers also queried the inability of the Commission to utilize N2.1 billion released so far for overhead cost, out of the N3.6 billion approved in 2020 under the year under review, leaving a balance of N1.2 billion.
While expressing displeasure over the poor release of funds for the implementation of the capital projects, the lawmakers observed that most of the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) would not be able to achieve 80% at the end of the 2020 fiscal year.
In his response to the question on the five per cent cost of collection on the recovered funds, the acting EFCC Chairman said: “We have highlighted our challenges, some of which include the need to have special courts to try corruption cases, increase of personnel because we need to employ more, issue of promotion for our personnel.
“There is also the issue of security for our lawyers who complained that some of them are being kidnapped.
“The issue of five percent to be given as cost of a collection like the one given to FIRS and Nigeria Customs Service and other revenue-generating agencies, I don’t think that has been approved and we have not gotten anything outside the budgetary allocation and subsequent releases to the Commission. The issue of five per cent is not really approved as far as we are concerned.”
On the query over the 420 new staff, Mr Mohammed explained that the employee said: “We were in the process of carrying out employment before the Covid-19 set in and everything had to be suspended. That is why we have a balance in our personnel budget of about N4 billion.”
Nigerian Tribune search on the previous presentations of the Commission during 2017 and 2018 budget defence sums of N102,913,791,217.54; $8,296,313.99; GBP 29,155; £12,475; 117,004 Canadian Dollar; 806.50 Dirham; 5,000 FRANCS and 2,000 Rupe as proceeds of crime between January and December 2016, while the commission also recovered the sums of N867 billion; $66.258 million and €13.847; GBP 294,851.82; Dirham 443400 and 70,500 South African Rand corruption proceeds in 2017, respectively.
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