It’s not surprising Bawa was suspended —Transparency International

Auwal Rafsanjani, the Head of Transparency International, Nigeria, has said that the organisation was not surprised by the suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Rafsanjani, who is also the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), said this in an interview with reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ripples Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday ordered Bawa’s suspension in a statement by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Rafsanjani said: ”The suspension did not come to us by surprise, this is because of the way and manner the previous regimes or governments have always removed the EFCC leaders when they come into power.

”For this development, with regard to the removal of the EFCC chairman, we believe that already we knew that he was going to be removed because of so many political interests and changes that can happen.”

Read also: DSS invites suspended EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa

Accordingly to him, President Tinubu might not likely retain Bawa because of how he was appointed and his affiliation.

”He will want to get rid of anything that has to do with that.

”Also there are some political interests, some politicians associated with the government also have issues with the current suspended EFCC chairman and therefore they are likely not to be comfortable to have him there.”

He however contended that ”the EFCC office has been unnecessarily made to be too much political.

”Therefore, it is making it difficult to do what ordinarily government agency is supposed to do.

”So, we need to look at it from that context and from that perspective, so I’m not surprised.”

Continuing, Rafsanjani said: “What is important is that we must insist and demand that the anti-corruption and the good work of agencies, including EFCC must continue in the country.”

He, however, advised the government to look beyond politics in appointing the next chairman of EFCC.

”In appointing the next one, I think first and foremost, lets make that office to be a technical professional office.

”Let’s make it less political, let us remove the use of that to settle political issues.

”I think we need to have a credibly experienced, fairly minded person to carry out that responsibility,” he said.

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