Opinion

Should EFCC, ICPC Be Scrapped?

Published

14 years ago

April 23, 2012

Following the debate generated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) whose efforts at tackling the scourge of corruption in the country have remained below expectation, some Nigerians have called for the scrapping of the two anti-corruption agencies which they argue are performing the traditional duties of the police.

However, they feel that the police as a crime-fighting institution has not fared any better.

Here are some of the views expessed by Nigerians on the issue. Mrs Lora Braisewell – Geogolist

The police should be scrapped instead of the EFCC and ICPC. The police are not functioning. The EFCC and ICPC function better than the police, for me, they do better work. They are created for specific functions which they have been carrying out.

What the EFCC needs is more backing from the Federal Government. I don’t think they have enough support from the Federal Government at the moment. With enough backing from the federal government, I think EFCC will do better. When Ribadu was the head of the EFCC, he performed very well in tackling financial crimes in the country. I believe there are still a few good men in Nigeria, who can be co-opted into the EFCC to function better.

Mr Emmanuel Somiari- Media Worker.

My own opinion is that instead of scrapping EFCC, ICPC and FRSC, the police should be scrapped. The EFCC is performing better than the police. Agreed, some members of the EFCC are policemen but they’re doing a better job.

With the appointment of the current EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, some bad eggs have been flushed out of EFCC and the commission is doing better. A lot of things went wrong during Farida’s administration which are now being corrected. What the chairman needs to do now is to pick credible people whom he trusts, to work with him.

I also think ICPC and EFCC should work hand-in-hand to curtail fraud and move this country forward.

Barrister (Mrs) Nkechi Bright – lawyer

From the on set I was never in support of the EFCC because with all their findings, nothing came to an end. You only hear that EFCC discovered this or that but you don’t see anybody suffering for the offence that he/she committed. So I think I’m in support of the scrapping of EFCC.

All Nigerians hear is that EFCC discovered that this person looted a certain amount of money and all that and the matter is in court. But we don’t see these people being prosecuted and being sent to jail which is the ultimate for such offences.

ICPC and EFCC are doing almost the same work and it still boils down to the same thing. The end result is what Nigerians are looking out for. We want to see people that commit offences go to jail and pay for their offences. If you are a commission set up by law like they are and you see that you achieve no result from what you have been asked to do, don’t you do anything about it? You just keep quiet? So I think all parties are to be blamed here, the commissions and even the judiciary (for the endless prosecutions).

In the case of FRSC, I think they deviated from what they were set up to do, they are now interested in changing plate numbers and all that, doing the work of a traffic man, instead of ensuring safety on our roads.

But in their own case, they should be channelled properly. EFCC and ICPC should be scrapped because the Federal Government is just putting in funds there and we are not seeing any result. The desired aim why those commissions were set up, we are not seeing it because corruption is still the same thing in Nigeria. Nothing has changed.

Mr. Anthony Ugowe, a lawyer/businessman What I think is that EFCC and ICPC should be merged, not necessarily scrapped because I think the police will do a very shoddy job in tackling corruption. But EFCC, so far, even if they are not perfect, they’re doing a good job. But ICPC is living under the shadow of EFCC. They do almost the same thing and ICPC has not been performing so far. So I think ICPC should be merged with EFCC.

For the FRSC, I think they should be merged with the police. I think FRSC is a drain on our resources because they do basically what the police does as regards traffic and everything. Apart from that, looking at their number, they are just like a handful compared to the police that are everywhere.

When you have law enforcement officers everywhere, people behave themselves. So, I think they should be merged with the police.

Coming back to EFCC, I think compared to the police, EFCC has some level of discipline, some staff of the commission are drawn from the police and they still have civilians which create a proper balance in the equation. There’s a sort of check and balance.

So they should either scrap the ICPC or merge them with EFCC, then, FRSC should be merged with police. They should be a special arm of the police. For instance, right now, the traffic wardens (yellow fever) are completely useless. What they do is just to control traffic. But they should be holding the position of the road safety commission. That’s what I think.

Mr. Jackson Monday Sariguma, CDC Chairman. I disagree with the idea of scrapping EFCC because the work of the police is different from that of EFCC. EFCC is tackling financial corruption but the police is tackling general crime. With the level of corruption in the police, I don’t think the police will be able to handle politicians today who are busy looting our treasury.

Merging police with FRSC is also wrong because police cannot do the work effectively. You see policemen on the road instead of them taking care of the problems on the road, you see them collecting N20, N50 from drivers. So they should allow FRSC to be there so that they can manage the road. The day I was going to my village and there was an accident on the road, if not for FRSC officials, many people would have died there. But policemen were there who couldn’t do any thing to help the accident victims.

So I will suggest, let all the commissions remain. Rather, the police be reformed so that the police can be reliable. Nigeria’s income is enough to maintain those agencies. The only thing is that they have to put reliable persons there and they will do their job effectively. So let the status quo remain but government should finance them, maintain them, reform them, send them abroad for training and I believe they will carry out their duties, and Nigeria will be in peace.

Mr. Ifeanyi Onyebe- businessman.

What I want to say is that when the ICPC was created, they were given a mandate which they are not carrying out. They are only focusing on the financial aspect of it. That is why today you hear them talking of EFCC taking over their job.

One of the objectives is to educate Nigerians in order to correct the way corruption has eaten up the whole system. Up till date, ICPC is not educating or enlightening the public. They are supposed to take the campaign against corruption to schools, talk to the students so that when they graduate they are not going to involve themselves in corrupt practices. But today, they are not doing so. They want to investigate those that have committed one or two financial crimes. Yes, in that aspect, the job of the EFCC and ICPC are overlapping. And I’m suggesting that if ICPC does not want to go into educating, enlightening the public on the dangers of corruption, if they want to focus on fighting financial crimes only, ICPC should be scrapped or be emerged with the EFCC.

Then, EFCC on its own side, needs to live up to our expectation. Every time we will be hearing 40 count charges, 50 count charges, yet none of those offenders had been made to pay for the offences committed. None of them has refunded the money stolen. So I want EFCC to sit up and work for Nigerians and not for the government because as it stands now, it seems they are working for the government, those that appointed them.

Again, merging the police and FRSC will bring about a total collapse in the system as far as traffic is concerned. If you see the way people drive on the highways, on our roads, you will agree with me that if you decide to merge the police and FRSC, every thing will just fall apart. The police should be solely in charge of security while FRSC should go on and educate Nigerians on how to drive. Let us know the signs, let us know what and what we need to do. Let us know the danger of carrying over load, because many people have gone and many are still dying.

The traffic department of the police is not effective. You only see then where they are doing what traffic light is supposed to do, but you can’t see them on the highways doing what they are supposed to do.

Opinion

Trans-Kalabari Road: Work In Progress

Published

17 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Quote:”This Dream project is one of the best things that have happened to the people and residents of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas in recent times.”

This is the concluding part of this story featured in our last edition.

Good road network helps farmers to convey their agro-allied products to commercial hubs where buyers and sellers meet periodically to transact business. Road network engineers and motivates people resident in unfriendly geographical terrains, like riverine areas, to own property and shuttle home with ease. Some people will prefer living in their own houses in a more serene and nature-blessed communities to living in the city that is fraught with pollution, and other environmental, social and economic hazards. Prior to the cult epidemic that ravaged parts of Rivers State, the Emohuas, Elemes, Ogonis, and Etches were known for rural dwelling. Most public servants from these areas do their official and private transactions from their villages. For them it was comparatively easier to live in the village and engage in a diversified economic endeavours through farming, fishing or other lucrative business without outrageous charges and embarrassment associated with doing business in Port Harcourt, where land is as scarce as the traditional needle.

That is why the decision to construct the Trans-Kalabari Road by the administration of Dr. Peter Odili was one of the best decisions that administration took. When Dr. Odili vacated office as the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi took over and awarded contracts for continuation of the road project which in my considered view is the felt need of the people of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas. Unfortunately, Rt. Hon. Amaechi’s efforts to drive the project was sabotaged by some contractors some of whom are Kalabari people. The main Trans-Kalabari Road is one project that is dear to the people and residents of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas of Rivers State. This is because through the road commuters can easily access several communities in the three local government areas. For instance, the road when completed will enable access to eight of the ten communities in Degema Local Government Area, namely: Bukuma, Tombia, Bakana, Oguruama, Obuama, Usokun, Degema town and the Degema Consulate. It will also link 15 of the 16 communities in Asari Toru Local Government Area. The communities are: Buguma, the local government headquarters, Ido, Abalama, Tema, Sama, Okpo, Ilelema, Ifoko, Tema, Sangama, Krakrama, Omekwe-Ama, Angulama. The road will also connect 14 of 17 wards in Akuku Toru Local Government Area, and other settlements. It is interesting to note that It is faster, and far more convenient and economical for the catchment Communities on the Trans-Kalabari Road network to go to the State Capital than the East West Road. The people of the three local government areas will prefer to work or do their transactions in Port Harcourt from their respective communities to staying in Port Harcourt where the house rent and the general cost of living is astronomically high.

Consequently, development will seamlessly spread to the 28 out of 34 communities of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas. The only Communities that are not linked by the road project are Oporoama in Asari Toru, the Ke and Bille Communities in Degema Local Government Area and the “Oceania” communities of Abissa, Kula, Soku, Idama, Elem Sangama of Akuku Toru Local Government Area. But because of the economic value of the unlinked Communities to Nigeria, (they produce substantial oil and gas in the area), the Federal, State Governments and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), can extend the road network to those areas just as Bonny is linked to Port Harcourt and the Lagos Mainland Bridge is connecting several towns in Lagos and neighbouring States.Kudos to previous administrations who had constructed the Central Group axis.

However, what is said to be the First Phase of the Trans-Kalabari Road project is actually a linkage of the “Central Group” Communities which consists of Krakrama, Angulama, Omekwe. Ama, Omekwe Tari Ama, Ifoko, Tema, Sangama. It is the peripheral of the Trans-Kalabari Road. The completion of the Main Trans Kalabari project will free Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor areas from congestion. It will motivate residents and people of the three local areas to contribute to the development of their Communities. If the Ogonis, Etches, Emohuas, Oyigbos, Okrikas, Elemes can feel comfortable doing business in Port Harcourt from home, residents and people whose communities are linked to Port Harcourt through the Trans-Kalabari Road will no doubt, do likewise. The vast arable virgin land of the Bukuma people can be open for development and sustainable agricultural ventures by Local, State and Federal Government.

It is necessary to recall that the Bukuma community was host to the Federal Government’s Graduate Farmers’ Scheme and the Rivers State Government moribund School-to-Land Scheme under Governor Fidelis Oyakhilome. Bukuma was the only community in Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas that has the capacity to carry those agricultural programmes. However the lack of road to transport farm produce to Port Harcourt and facilitate the movement of the beneficiaries of the scheme who lived in the community which is several miles away from the farms, hampered the sustainability of the programme. The main Trans-Kalabari Road remains the best gift to the people of Degema, Asari Toru, and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas. Kudos to Sir Siminilayi Fubara.

By: Igbiki Benibo

Opinion

That U.S. Capture of Maduro

Published

17 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Quote:”Strategic convenience does not nullify sovereignty. Political frustration does not authorise military abduction.”

The first part of this story was published in our last edition.

In Africa and the Middle East, regime change—whether by invasion, proxy warfare, or sanctions—has often left behind fractured states, weakened institutions, and prolonged instability. Washington’s motivations in Venezuela are widely understood: vast oil reserves, alliances with U.S. rivals, and symbolic defiance of American influence in the Western Hemisphere. But none of these reasons confer legal or moral legitimacy. Strategic convenience does not nullify sovereignty. Political frustration does not authorise military abduction. If every powerful nation acted on its grievances in this manner, global chaos would inevitably follow. International law provides mechanisms for accountability. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), individuals accused of crimes against humanity or other grave offences are subject to investigation and prosecution through judicial processes.

Likewise, extradition treaties, mutual legal assistance agreements, and Interpol mechanisms exist to ensure accountability while respecting due process. These frameworks were designed precisely to prevent unilateral enforcement of “justice” by military force. The most profound consequence of America’s action may not be in Caracas, but in the precedent it sets. If the world accepts that a superpower can unilaterally depose another country’s president, then the foundation of the international system is weakened. Sovereignty becomes conditional—no longer a right, but a privilege tolerated at the discretion of the powerful. Going forward, if another country invades its neighbour, will the United States retain the moral authority to impose sanctions or demand restraint? Some analysts already warn that parallels between Russia’s actions in Ukraine and America’s conduct in Venezuela risk further eroding global norms. Selective adherence to international law breeds cynicism and accelerates the drift toward a world governed by force rather than rules.

Power—military, economic, or political—should serve human progress and collective well-being, not domination and destruction. For African nations, many of which emerged from colonial rule through bitter struggle, this precedent is especially alarming. Sovereignty is not an abstract legal concept; it is a hard-won shield against external domination. Any erosion of that principle anywhere weakens it everywhere. Africa’s painful history of foreign interference makes this lesson especially urgent. For me, the real issue is not whether Nicolás Maduro is a good or bad leader. That judgment belongs, first and foremost, to the Venezuelan people. The larger issue is whether the international system still operates on law—or has quietly reverted to hierarchy. If America insists it is defending global order, it must ask itself a difficult question: can an order survive when its most powerful guardian feels entitled to violate it? Until that question is answered honestly, the capture of a foreign president will remain not a triumph of justice, but a troubling symbol of a world drifting from law toward force.

If the United States felt so strongly about the allegations of terrorism, drug trafficking against Maduro, were there no other lawful options? Judicial accountability, diplomacy, regional mediation, and multilateral pressure may be slow and imperfect, but they reflect respect for international law and sovereign equality. Military seizure is a blunt instrument. It humiliates institutions, radicalizes populations, and hardens resistance. It may remove a leader, but it rarely resolves the underlying crisis. History teaches that military interventions seldom result in stable democratic outcomes. More often, they breed resentment, resistance, and long-term instability. For the sake of global order and the rule of law, the United States should reconsider this path and recommit to diplomacy, legal cooperation, and respect for the sovereign equality of states. Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly described the invasion of Venezuela as “unlawful and unwise,” warning that such actions “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.” Her words reflect a growing recognition, even within the United States, that force without legitimacy undermines both moral authority and global stability.

Should what happened in Venezuela serve as a wake-up call for corrupt African leaders who undermine the people’s right to choose their leaders? The answer is yes. The capture of Maduro should alarm African leaders who manipulate elections, weaken institutions, suppress opposition, undermine citizens’ rights, or cling to power at all costs. Venezuela faced widespread criticism over disputed elections and repression long before this episode, and that context shaped how the world reacted. This does not justify foreign military intervention, but it highlights an uncomfortable truth: prolonged democratic decay isolates nations and invites external pressure—from sanctions to diplomatic censure. Global opinion matters, and legitimacy at home strengthens sovereignty abroad. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and several African leaders have rightly condemned the events in Venezuela, invoking the principles of sovereignty and non-interference enshrined in international and regional law.

Beyond condemnation, however, African leaders must look inward. The continent’s future cannot be built on repression, constitutional manipulation, and personal greed. Leadership must reflect the will of the people, not desperation for power. Two days ago, a social commentator on a radio station argued that Trump’s action—though condemnable—demonstrates how far a leader can go for his country’s interest. According to this view, he did not intervene in Venezuela for personal enrichment, but to strengthen his nation. In stark contrast, many African leaders plunder their own countries. They siphon public resources, impose crushing taxes and harmful policies, and leave their citizens poorer—all for selfish gain. That contradiction is the deeper lesson Africa must confront.True sovereignty is protected not only by international law, but by accountable leadership at home.

By: Calista Ezeaku

Opinion

Kudos Gov Fubara

Published

2 weeks ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Please permit me to use this medium to appreciate our able governor, Siminalayi Fubara for the inauguration of the 14.2-kilometre Obodhi–Ozochi Road in Ahoada-East Local Government Area. This inauguration marks a significant milestone in the history of our communities and deserves commendation. We, the people of Ozochi, are particularly happy because this project has brought long-awaited relief after years of isolation and hardship.

The expression of our traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Eze Prince Ike Ehie, JP, during the inauguration captured the joy of our people. He said, “our isolation is over.” That reflects the profound impact of this road on daily life, economic activities, and social integration of the people of Ozochi and other neighbouring communities. The road will no doubt ease transportation, improve access to markets and healthcare, and strengthen links between Ahoada, Omoku, and other parts of Rivers State.

The people of Ahoada, Omoku, and indeed Rivers State as a whole are grateful to our dear governor for this laudable achievement and wish him many more successful years in office. We pray that God endows him with more wisdom and strength to continue to pilot the affairs of the state for the benefit of all. As citizens, we should rally behind the governor and support his development agenda. Our politicians and stakeholders should embrace peace and cooperation, as no meaningful progress can be achieved in an atmosphere of conflict. Sustainable development in the state can only thrive where peace prevails.

Samuel Ebiye