Apparently worried by the absence of Financial Intelligence Agency/ Unit in the nation financial sector, civil Society groups and authorities of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday stormed National Assembly to give their unalloyed support to the Bill for an Act to establish the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) Bill 2013 just as secretary to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Mr Emmanuel Aremu laments that his commission’s account was in red. According to the secretary the commission is broke and having less than #2million in account presently.
Aremu made the shocking disclosure to the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Economic Crimes yesterday while making presentation at the Public Hearing the Committee held on the Bill for an Act to Establish the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) Bill 2013.
According to the EFCC Secretary, the problem of financial insolvency crippling the activities of the anti –graft outfit arose from non remittance of appropriated funds for the agency by the federal government over the months.
“ I could recollect when the committee paid an oversight function we did make our financial position known to the committee that as at now, EFCC does not have 2 million Nara in its accounts. We don’t have money.
“We have been complaining that no money has been released for us for operations. As at now, we don’t have up to 2 million Naira, if we can afford to pay salary this month that is all. That is the position under which we operate presently”, he disclosed Aremu who kicked against the intention of the Bill in making Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) currently a department in EFCC an independent Intelligence Unit on its own, said FIU in most climes of the world is run as a secret operational centre at the background of a major body like EFCC as it is presently in Nigeria.
“FIU as intended by the Bill should not be exposed to the public as a separate body on its own. It should be kept at the background as it is in most climes of the world”, he said However representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), supported the thrust of the Bill in making FIU, a separate Intelligence Unit on its own.
While Amusa Oluwole Ogundana , Director ,Legal Services of the CBN supported the bill but suggested that some aspects making it supervisory agency over existing ones should be deleted, NIA supported it 100%, saying FIU as it is presently, fell short of the minimum standard required from such a sensitive intelligence unit.
Meanwhile no fewer than 17 Civil Society groups drawn from virtually all the Federation were unanimous in supporting the Bill saying that its establishment would not only redeem the battered image of the country at the international community but serve as an effective instrument in fighting corruption and money laundering in the country.
Earlier in his address, chairman Senate committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Economic Crimes, Senator Victor Lar assured participants that their inputs to the passage of the Bill would be respected adding that the committee would do everything possible to ensure that legislation to put an end to corrupt practices and other forms of financial crimes are stamped out in the country.