NIGERIA: President Goodluck Jonathan sacks the head of the country's anti-graft body, which has been criticised for doing too little to tackle endemic corruption in the African nation

Record ID: 235371

  • Title: NIGERIA: President Goodluck Jonathan sacks the head of the country's anti-graft body, which has been criticised for doing too little to tackle endemic corruption in the African nation
  • Date: 24th November 2011
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION (EFCC) SIGN AT THE OFFICE ENTRANCE VARIOUS SACKED HEAD OF THE EFCC, OF FARIDA WAZIRI, WORKING IN HER OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FARIDA WAZIRI, FORMER HEAD OF ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION, SAYING "My predecessor was more of a noise maker, grandstanding, and he loved to be on pages of newspapers, media houses, to threaten people, to call people names."
  • Embargoed: 9th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Crime,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEUIMFN2O0FTXJZUIYN94UCGLQ
  • Story Text: The head of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was dismissed from her post on Wednesday (November 23).
    Farida Waziri was replaced by Ibrahum Lamorde, the director of operations at the anti-graft body.
    Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made the change but his office gave no reason to explain the move.
    The EFCC, a law enforcement agency with powers of arrest, investigates crimes such as fraud, money laundering and corruption, was set up by in 2003, partly in response to international pressure to tackle endemic graft.
    But human rights groups and diplomats have criticised it for failing to bring any senior politicians to justice, despite a string of high profile arrests reported in the papers.
    Another former head, Nuhu Ribadu, was also dismissed in late 2007, despite winning international praise for a series of arrests and seizures.
    He had made enemies for pursuing cases against powerful state governors in the African nation and was forced to flee to Britain.
    People on the streets of Lagos, the economic heart of Nigeria, made clear why corruption is the number one gripe of most Nigerians.
    "We no longer have regards for values anymore, all we are interested in is all we can grab, and I think that we need proper reorientation and if that is not done, I am afraid that we may just be going into a state of no return," lawyer, Hycinth Ubah, said.
    "It is all not well to me, because you can see they can go and arrest people, there are people that are being corrupted (paid bribes) and then in a small (short) time you see them being released," businessman, Dauda Ndahi, said.
    "Corruption in Nigeria is a national phenomena but I think the present government can only curb it. But it can not be completely eradicated," contractor, Adeniyi Andrew, said.
    Foreign investors say graft is their main reason for steering clear of Nigeria, Africa's second biggest economy.
    It is a problem that President Jonathan, along with his predecessors, has been criticised for doing too little to tackle.
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