The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has warned that the move by the senate to make the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) independent of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may result in more harm than good.
Dogara’s comment which is contained in the current edition of EFCC newsletter, EFCCAlert, noted that an autonomous NFIU would create inter-agency rivalry, which will further frustrate the battle against corruption.
Following the suspension of NFIU from the Egmont Group, the upper legislative chamber promptly resolved to create a law for an independent NFIU with powers to employ, promote and discipline its staff.
The senate on Thursday passed the bill which removes the unit from the control of the EFCC, but the speaker of the green chamber has reservations about the bill, which he says will hinder the success of the anti-corruption war.
“I sincerely believe that for the EFCC to be effective, it needs to exercise some kind of control over that unit [NFIU] in the sense that in most cases, the hard core evidence that is needed to secure convictions may rest on the activities of that unit,” the newsletter quoted Dogara as saying.
“Now if you have taken the unit out of EFCC and conferred some kind of independence on the agency running the unit, you will have inter-agency rivalry and that, sincerely speaking, may harm our fight against corruption more than the good granting them autonomy may bring to the system.
“So, if we are talking about inability to secure convictions, I believe the journey must begin where you can control all the avenues that give you that quality and sound evidence that you need to tender before the judge to secure convictions.
“If we start granting autonomy to some of the units, and then instead of cooperating, we are having inter-agency rivalry, you will further frustrate the battle against corruption.
“What is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong. Sincerely, I believe that the NFIU should be under the EFCC.
“Even if in some jurisdiction, it is independent, for the reasons I have mentioned, that if you create an independent unit, you will be encouraging inter-agency rivalry. In Nigeria, sadly, it is very difficult for independent agencies to co-operate.”
The bill still has two more hurdles to scale before the NFIU can fully become autonomous. It has to be passed by the house of representatives and assented by the president.
The Egmont Group has given Nigeria until January 2018 to do the needful, else the country will face expulsion.
The global body provides the backbone for monitoring international money laundering activities.