Functions of EFCC in the Public Sector

The establishment of this economic and financial crime commission’s Act No. 1 of 2004 stipulated the functions of the EFCC which includes the following:

1. Fight corruption; minimize waste, dishonesty and extravagance.
2. To apprehend dishonest corrupt civil public servants and deter potential ones.
3. The co-ordination and enforcement of all economic and financial crime law.
4. The co-ordination of all existing, economic and financial crimes investigation units in
Nigeria
5. The examination and investigation of all reported cases of economic and financial crimes
with a view to identifying individuals, corporate bodies or group involved.
6. To appraise the performance of ministers, agencies, boards, etc.
7. To ensure carrying out operations economically, efficiently and effectively, etc.

Perpetrators of Crimes in Public Sector
The most known perpetrators of crimes in the public sector are the officials who move in and out of the offices as well as the outsiders who delve in into this ugly business. Outsiders
include: those who commit fraud using forged signature and/ or documents of recognized personnel to commit financial crimes e.g. Signature forgers. And those who connive with the
officials in the public sector to commit fraud e.g. contractors. There also exist the opportunitistic or occasional crime perpetrators who commit crime when there is any available loop-hole discovered in the course of working, while professional crime perpetrators create loop-holes themselves either by individual effort or through officials in the public sector.

In Nigeria today, corrupt practices are many. Corrupt practices is the involvement of a public or private official to accomplish an act called corruption. Corruption is an attitude that is not the norm of the society. The following are involved in corrupt practices:
- A judge who thwarts the cause of justice is corrupt.
- A president who doesn’t follow due process in the administration of Government business is among.
- A lecturer who sells mark or extorts money from students is involved.
- An accountant who adds figures to approved ones is not left out in corruption.
- A clergyman or woman who collects money for salvation is included.
- A security personnel such as police, Army, Custom, Road Safety, Corps etc, who extorts
money from innocent citizens for services not rendered is corrupt.
- A contractor who inflate contract costs or the one who collect contract funds and abandon
the job is a corrupt person.
- A journalist who collect bribe to report in favour of a leader, when what he or she is
reporting is not correct is corrupt.
- A minister and his officials who share unspent budget to their personnel gains are corrupt
- A legislator who approves money not appropriated for is involved
- A student who seduces his or her teacher to curry favour is among
- Children who dupe their parents are deep in corrupt practices
- A head of institution who issues certificate to unqualified candidates for a fee is corrupt.
- An administrator who signs false documents for a fee is deep necked in corruption.
- A businessman who sells fake product to people is corrupt.
 
It is essential to state here that we are all victims and perpetrators. However, the people involved most times in the public sector are the secretaries, nurses, accountants, ministers,
chairman, commissioners, cashiers, directors, treasurers, assistants at various level, administrators, legislators, friends, councilors and associates law enforcement officers, etc.
In a situation, where all these corrupt practices are deep rooted, it becomes difficult for
development to take place and so there is need for EFCC to work hard in the fight against
economic and financial crimes (corruption).