..asks anti-graft agency to probe ministers, govt officials

By Ise-Oluwa Ige

ABUJA— An Abuja-based lawyer and social critic, Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu yesterday assessed the performance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in its fight against corruption and declared that the anti-graft agency had failed woefully.

He said the commission deliberately left corrupt key officials of the Federal Government who control far higher budgets unprobed for state governors.

To him, the conduct of the anti-graft agency is tantamount to chasing shadows in view of the fact that Federal Government officials are more corrupt than states governors, few of who are currently facing corruption charges in several courts, nationwide.

His words: “The lion share of the country’s earnings is handled by the Federal Government. More percentage goes to the Federal Government than all the 36 states put together.

“The fight against corruption will make no impact until the agency starts probing the Federal Government which individual ministries controls budgets bigger than any state. “Yet, no minister has been probed”, he lamented.

Orizu was responding to an allegation leveled against SNECOU Group of Companies Limited that Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva is using the firm as a conduit to siphon public fund.

The firm is currently before a Federal High Court, Abuja to enforce a judgment debt of N754, 233, 952.02 awarded against the state government in its favour.

Orizu wondered why a company that is serving as a conduit by the governor would still sue the same state to court for default over a contract it was duly awarded and on-going.

“All the equipments meant for the contract are on ground; imported from overseas. The job is contractor-financed job; it is ongoing.”

Wondering about the rationale behind linking the firm to the governor, the lawyer believed most of the attacks on Sylva were politically motivated judging by the circumstances of this case.

“The allegation is malicious. As far as SNECOU is concerned, the company is clean. We are doing this job in several states receiving no complaint from anybody,” Orizu added.

Based on a contract agreement, Bayelsa State had issued an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order, ISPO, of over N7billion to SNECOU on December 3, 2008.