BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE & LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

ABUJA — The House of Representatives Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, yesterday, warned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against allowing itself to be used by the government against perceived political enemies.

Chairman of the committee, Jagaba Adams Jagaba (PDP, Kaduna), gave the warning to the commission’s Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Larmonde, during the 2014 budget defence of the commission.

Jagaba also asked the commission to take staff welfare and motivation seriously to forestal any act of compromise among them.

He said: “I want to tell you this; please, don’t allow yourself to be used for political vendetta. If it’s a PDP man that is involved, do your work; if it’s an APC man that is involved, do your work. In fact, even if it’s Jagaba that is involved, do your work.

“Always discharge your duties with the fear of God. Motivate your staff, so they will not be tempted by anything in the course of carrying out their work.”

He further asked the chairman to take advantage of the contributions made by civilian staff in the commission to enhance their operations.

In his presentation earlier, Lamorde said the commission proposed N21 billion as its expenditure for 2014, but noted that only N10.245 billion was earmarked by the Budget Office, out of which N1.399 billion was for capital projects, N6.845 billion for personnel and N2 billion for overhead.

He also stated that the N1.399 billion approved for capital projects would be expended on the completion of the commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.

He, however, expressed fears that the amount was insufficient for the project.

Lamorde solicited the intervention of the committee in the allocation of more fund to complete the project to meet up the January 2015 deadline and relieve the commission of the burden of huge spending on maintenance of seven offices in Abuja.