EFCC Boss Links Grid Collapse to Corruption in Power Sector

*Begins tracing of MDAs’ budgetary spending

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, has linked the frequent collapse of the national grid to fraud in the electricity sector, especially the use of poor and substandard materials.
Olukoyede stated this yesterday when the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, visited the headquarters of the Commission in Abuja.
The EFCC chairman said Nigerians would weep if they knew the monumental fraud taking place in the electricity sector.
 “As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigation we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.
“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 gauge, they will go and buy 5.0.
“So every time you see the thing tripping off, the thing gets burnt, and all of that. It falters, and it collapses. It’s part of our problems”, Olukoyede said.
Also , the EFCC boss disclosed that the agency would be putting more energy in preventing crime than recovery in the coming days, adding that concentration would be more on the spending of ministries and agencies of the government.
According to him, the EFCC has established a new directory called Problem Risk Assessment and Control, which has as part of its mandate the tracing of funds released to MDAs.
He noted that the directory is working with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to look at releases against implementation of projects.
Olukoyede said: “We discovered that in the last 15 to 20 years, we have not done up to 20 per cent of our capital project implementation and execution. And if we don’t do that, how do you want to have infrastructural development? How do you want to grow as a nation?
“So our mandate this year is to work with that directorate and with the National Assembly to see if we can meet up to 50 per cent of our execution of our capital project for the year.”
While identifying lack of implementation of capital project as one of the major problems in Nigeria, he pointed out that if the country is able to tackle that effectively, it will progress as a nation.
Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Obinna Onwusibe said they were at the EFCC to access the activities of the commission and see how they can collaborate to move the nation forward.
He urged the anti-graft agency to collaborate with the judiciary to expedite the trials of suspects and reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial.
“At this point, let me add that recently, on oversight visits to the maximum and minimum correctional centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, numerous suspects have been awaiting trial for over one year, and yet we are all acquainted with the saying that justice delayed is justice denied.
“It is on this note that we call on the EFCC, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Judiciary to improve, ensure that the administration of criminal justice to work in collaboration for an effective and efficient system that will bring about justice delivery, that will bring justice to victims and to society”, he said.
Onwusibe tasked the commission on transparency and accountability in its operation. “The negative maxim being peddled in certain quarters that the agency is often being used to settle political scores must be made to be incorrect and inappropriate by the EFCC,” he said.