By Dipo Olowookere
Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, has pledged the commission’s support for the World Food Programme (WFP) towards ensuring that all support deployed by its donors and the government of Nigeria reaches its beneficiaries without any threat of corruption.
Mr Magu made the pledge on Tuesday, December 20, 2016 while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the WFP at the EFCC’s Head Office in Abuja.
The EFCC boss, who noted that corruption is a serious threat that negatively affects the development of a nation, said the new partnership will in no small measure help in alleviating the sufferings of internally displaced people especially in the northern part of Nigeria.
His words: “we assure you that we will follow you to every nook and cranny of the North Eastern states like Yobe, Borno and Adamawa. We will be with you wherever you need our attention, if there are no operative where you are, we will send you operatives from here. We will support and work with your intervention to reach its beneficiaries without any threat of corruption”.
Earlier, Mr Bernadin Assiene, Director of Inspections and Investigations, WFP, noted that that the MoU between WFP and EFCC is an important aspect of WFP’s intervention in Nigeria and its main objective is to ensure that all the support mobilized by it effectively reaches its beneficiaries and is safe-proofed from any risk of fraud and corruption.
He also described the importance of signing of the MoU with EFCC as first of its kind saying, “Today’s MoU signing is the confirmation that EFCC is the right partner to help WFP establish specific assurance mechanisms in Nigeria.”
He also poured accolades on the agency’s doggedness in the fight against corruption adding that, “EFCC’s expertise, reputation and track record of successful engagements in the fight against fraud and corruption in the utilization of foreign assistance is well recognized, both nationally and internationally.”
Mr Sory Ouane, WFP Representative and Country Director, in his remark explained how the WFP had provided intervention to the North East through its intervention programme assuring that it would continue.
“The ongoing conflict in Northeast Nigeria has the potential to cause further displacement and increase food insecurity. Therefore, WFP is revising its emergency operations to implement a robust scale up and an integrated response to meet the overwhelming needs in Northeast Nigeria, targeting 1.8 million people in Borno and Yobe States in 2017”, he said.
While Magu signed the MoU on behalf of the EFCC, Assiene signed for the WFP.
Other members of the WFP at the event included Peter Musoko Deputy Regional Director; Femi Amure, West Africa Project Advisor/Liason and Ijeoma M. Garba, External Partnership.
The occasion was witnessed by members of the management team of the EFCC.
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Adedapo Adesanya