EFCC, CSOs Join Forces On Budget Monitoring
A coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs), under the Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria, has pledged to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor government budgets, ensuring their optimal implementation.
The coalition, which includes several CSOs, made this commitment on Thursday, February 6, 2025, during a courtesy visit to the EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The CSO leaders, led by Ambassador Splendor Agbonkpolor, revealed that they had formed a committee focused on monitoring the government’s budget to ensure its effectiveness and transparency.
Agbonkpolor explained that the committee’s primary concern is the budget, and their mandate includes monitoring its implementation, assessing its effectiveness, identifying budget gaps, advocating for reforms, promoting transparency, providing evidence-based reports, collaborating with stakeholders, and supporting capacity-building efforts.
The CSO leader emphasized that corruption begins at the procurement stage, stating that if corruption is tackled from procurement through to implementation, much of the budgeted funds intended for theft can be safeguarded. He cited their previous experiences of visiting project sites, only to find that funded projects were nonexistent, despite contractors having received substantial payments. He mentioned that in such cases, the CSOs would alert the EFCC to facilitate investigations.
“Our role is to assist the EFCC by providing evidence and pointing out discrepancies that make investigations easier,” Agbonkpolor said. He further stressed the importance of civil society collaboration to support and enhance the EFCC’s work. “This is why we came together as a committee to assist the government and work alongside the EFCC,” he added.
EFCC Chairman Mr. Olukoyede expressed his gratitude for the CSOs’ interest in fighting corruption, stating that collaboration is key to success in this fight. He acknowledged that anti-corruption efforts cannot succeed through law enforcement agencies alone and welcomed the support of civil society organizations. “When I see civil society with us, it gives me confidence that we will succeed,” Olukoyede affirmed.
The EFCC Chairman assured the CSOs that they would receive the Commission’s full support. He also stressed the importance of budget monitoring and pledged to strengthen the collaboration between the EFCC and the CSOs.
