EFCC REJECTS N10MN DONATION FROM TARABA ACTING GOVERNOR AS UNITED STATES BLAST NIGERIA ON CORRUPTION. At the 2013 Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance Integrity Heroes Award night at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja on Friday, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission turned down a N10 million gift from Taraba State Acting Governor. The incident happened when the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Josiah Sabo Kente received an award on behalf of the Acting Governor, Mr. Garba Umar. Kente told the audience the Acting Governor has asked me to announce N10 million donations each to the EFCC and the ICPC as our support for fighting corruption According to a source the room went silent before Mr. Kayode Oladele, Chief of Staff in the office of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC went to the podium. Oladele said the donation was a violation of ethics and rules of engagement of the EFCC, We (the EFCC) appreciate the effort of the Acting Governor of Taraba State, but we would like to respectfully decline the donation. The only support we accept is for the Governors to continue to be accountable and transparent in their dealings. According to a source the Taraba House Speaker tried to return to the podium but was prevented from speaking to the room again. He is claimed to have said to the Master of Ceremony he had make a mistake and the N20 million was meant to be donated to the organizers of the program, the Foundation for Transparency and Accountability. In a related story, the US State Department released its 2013 Annual Report on Nigeria which condemns the Jonathan government for frustrating anti-corruption efforts in the country. The report shows several setbacks for the Economic and Financial Crime Commission:
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 11:02:50 +0000