Transparency Advocacy For Development Initiative (TADI), has called for a forensic and investigative audit of all government agencies.
A statement signed Tuesday by its executive director, Yomi David in Abuja, on the ongoing presidential probe panel led by Justice Ayo Salami, called for the audit of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other agencies because of their capacity to streamline public sector accountability mechanism.
The statement requested that President Muhammadu Buhari should mandate the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately pursue the amendment of the repressive provisions of the EFCC Act 2003, particularly those that mandatorily place the headship of the EFCC in the hands of serving and retired security officers who are very corrupt.
The statement reads in part: “This will allow professionals with integrity and unblemished public records to head the place and reform the agency in line with global best practices.”
“Demilitarise the EFCC from the grip of the police officers and corrupt politicians and bring onboard trained professionals with 21st-century skills in asset intelligence gathering, asset tracing, forfeiture and criminal investigation and prosecution.”
The statement said carrying out a multi-level forensic audit of the EFCC from inception till date would help ascertain the extent of alleged rot.
It further stated that researches and various reports suggested that corruption, either directly or indirectly, is the bane of poverty in Nigeria.
The statement added that the Corruption Perceptions Index, released annually by Transparency International (TI), also gives credence to the pervasive corruption in the sub-saharan country.
“Nigeria has always floated at the bottom of the list, among the most corrupt nations in the world.
“It is not surprising that just as the country continues to rank very high on the index, there is a proportionate decline in the Human Development Index released every year by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),” the statement added.
