Mohammed S. Shehu And Ronald Mutum

There was palpable relief and excitement among top notchers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] all across the country yesterday following the surprise sacking of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] chairman Mrs. Farida Waziri. President Goodluck Jonathan approved her sack the night before he left the country for Paris, but the State House in Abuja only made the public announcement after the president was airborne.

Nor was Mrs Waziri informed of her impending sack, which she first heard on television as the news was flashed while she held meetings in her office. A source said she was actually having a meeting with EFCC's Director of Operations Ibrahim Lamurde, a serving police officer who was appointed yesterday as EFCC's Acting Chairman.

Daily Trust learnt yesterday that the impetus to sack Waziri was brought about by the convergence of three different but overlapping interests: those of President Jonathan and his close circle of advisers; those of PDP chieftains in several states, especially the South West, and those of National Assembly members. However, the presidency was also encouraged by the fact that Nigerians as well as foreign diplomats, notably those of the US and the European Union, generally express displeasure at the lack of real progress in the anti-corruption war in the years since Mrs Waziri took over at EFCC.
Pressure to sack Waziri had been piled on President Jonathan over many months by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mohamed Bello Adoke, PDP top notchers as well as by members of the National Assembly. While all of them claimed that their grouse against Waziri had to do with the slow movement in the anti-corruption war and the alleged corruption of the former chairman, Daily Trust learnt that they also alleged eagerness on the former EFCC chairman's part to embarrass PDP leaders and create political advantage for the opposition in some select states.

Usually well-informed sources told Daily Trust although the President and the Attorney General had been planning for many months to remove Mrs Waziri, they finally decided to make a move following "security reports" alleging that some persons had demanded for money, allegedly on behalf of the EFCC bosses, in order to stymie the prosecution of the four ex-PDP governors who were charged to court by EFCC last month. The reports said that people who claimed to be fronts for the EFCC chiefs were demanding millions of dollars in bribes from former Governors Muhammadu Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Akwe Doma, Adebayo Akala and Otumba Gbenga Daniel, as well as from ex-House of Representatives speaker Oladimeji Bankole and his former deputy, Usman Bayero Nafada. Figures as high as three million US dollars were mentioned in some cases.

Attorney General Adoke had been waging a personal crusade against Farida Waziri for many months, and his agents went as far as planting stories in the newspapers alleging that she never attained the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police. His aides also boasted two months ago that Farida would be sacked as soon as she returned from a trip to the US.

As for PDP leaders, they frowned at the arrest and charging to court of four ex-PDP governors in one fell swoop. They pointed out that no ex-governors form opposition parties had as yet been charged with similar offences and that EFCC's action tended to cripple and confuse PDP chapters in some states, notably Oyo and Nasarawa.

Members of the National Assembly were also very unhappy with Mrs Farida Waziri over the prosecution of Bankole and Nafada, which they saw as a hatchet job for the presidency in order to stop the emergence of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as House Speaker last June. However, since the presidency kept denying that it was involved, they were angry that EFCC continued to prosecute them. They were particularly angry that some people claiming to be acting for the EFCC demanded huge bribes from the two former legislators in order to stymie the prosecution.

Before yesterday's events, members of the House of Representatives had inched one step closer to making Mrs Waziri unqualified for the EFCC chairman's office. They read for the second time on October 26 a Bill seeking to amend the EFCC establishment Act, 2004 to provide for the appointment of a Supreme Court judge as chairman of the anti-graft agency.

Sponsored by Rep Bassey Eko Ewa (PDP, Cross Rivers), the bill is seeking to amend Section 2 of the EFCC Act to provide for the appointment of an Assistant Inspector General of Police as EFCC's head of investigation unit. Mrs. Waziri holds that rank.

On the other hand, the EFCC under Waziri had come under fierce criticism from Nigerians and foreign diplomats who complain that many of the high profile cases started by the agency soon got stuck. The prosecution of many former state governors since 2007 were all stalemated. But Mrs Waziri had blamed the courts for the delay, and she recently welcomed an order from new Chief Justice Dahiru Musdapher for all anti-corruption cases to be concluded within six months of filing.
The sacking of Mrs. Farida Waziri seven months to the end of her first term in office was announced in a terse statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati. The statement said, "President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Lamurde as the Acting Chairman/Chief Executive of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The appointment takes immediate effect, and effectively relieves Mrs. Farida Waziri of her position as EFCC Chairman. Mrs. Waziri was appointed EFCC Chairman by Late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua on May 18, 2008 and confirmed by the Senate on May 27, 2008.

"Mr. Lamurde, an officer of the Nigeria Police, was, until this appointment the Director of Operations of the EFCC. He was also Ag. Chairman of the EFCC before Mrs. Waziri assumed duty at the Commission."

When contacted yesterday, EFCC's spokesman Femi Babafemi said he had no comments to make on the changes at the commission.

Let's see what is going to be different from all they've been feeding us.
If by next year Feb no governor is eating beans, it means Jonathan is a useless leader and part of the problem.