Whistle-Blower Will Go Mad If We Pay Him N860m At Once – Presidency
The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has revealed why the Federal is hesitant to pay the whistle-blower who exposed the N13 billion found in an Ikoyi, Lagos apartment, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Sagay said the Federal Government does not want the whistle-blower to run mad at the sight of the huge sum of money, something he has not seenbefore.
According to him, the government deliberately delayed the payment because he needed to be adequately counselled before such amount would be handed over to him.
Sagay said if the commission, which the whistle-blower claims is N860m, was given to him immediately, he probably would have squandered it within a month or two.
The presidential adviser told Punch that, “What I gathered from my inquiry is that the man is not sufficiently stable to receive such a huge sum of money. He is like someone who will almost run mental when he gets the money and will use it in an irresponsible manner, attracting not only undesirable people but even danger to himself.
“I think what they wanted to do for him was to provide counsellors. Not just counsellors for character and mental situation but counsellors who would be like consultants that would help him to really invest the money and plan in such a way that he doesn’t throw it away in five minutes.
“They are trying to help him. Nobody is denying him anything. They are trying to help him but he just misunderstands the intention and like everyone that has been deprived for a long time, he is so desperate to have it, but from what I can see, if they just give him everything, it won’t last more than a month or two because so many people will start finding ways to get to him and taking their portions from him. So, they were just trying to help him but he became hysterical.”
Sagay told Punch that the Federal Government has decided to pay the whistle-blower in tranches, adding that such a method of payment would deter him from spending it all at once.
He added, “It is better to pay him in tranches. I agree with the government because if not, he will throw it away. This is valuable money that government could have used for millions of unemployed and wretchedly poor people.
“One man is getting it and he just wants it so that he can blow it all in five minutes? No, the government has a responsibility to see that his excitement does not end in seeing the money being thrown away irresponsibly. So, I agree with the government.”
Anti-graft war: Buhari okays 2, 250 job slots for EFCC
Posted By: Yusuf Alli
•Magu draws only 37 per cent of security vote
As part of plans to beef up the anti-graft war, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved 2, 250 job slots for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The agency is expected to recruit 750 new employees per annum over three years.
The anti-graft agency in collaboration with the Federal Character Commission (FCC) has started the recruitment test nationwide based on the zonal offices of the EFCC in order to create a level-playing ground for candidates.
The commission was also said to have resorted to zonal basis in order to avoid a repeat of the stampede which affected a similar exercise in the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The President approved the slots to increase the commission’s number of core and support staff since the anti-graft war is moving to the next stage.
It was however learnt that some highly-placed Nigerians want the recruitment to hold in Abuja so as to be able to wield influence.
A document obtained by our correspondent indicated that the EFCC has written to the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and obtained approval to go ahead with the recruitment.
The document showed that each zonal recruitment test is being coordinated by a Director of EFCC, two commissioners from the EFCC and other top staff of the anti-graft agency.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The approval letter was specific that we should employ at least 750 workers per year for the next three years. We have brought this approval to the notice of the relevant committees in the National Assembly. There is no question of secret or under-the-table recruitment.
“We decided to take the recruitment process to the zonal offices to create a level-playing ground for all. And given the high number of applicants, we chose zonal procedure to avoid recruitment stampede,
“But we are not waiving our recruitment procedures under any guise for the new hands. Apart from screening their certificates, we subject them to covert investigation and ask them to write tests.
“In order to be fair to all candidates, we are conducting the recruitment process at our zonal offices and after selecting the best, the relevant desks at the headquarters will further evaluate their performance based on our tight regulations.
“At the end of the day, the best candidates will proceed to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna for training.
It was also learnt that Magu has drawn only 37 per cent of the N150million security votes appropriated for the EFCC chairman in 2017.
This is contrary to insinuations that the Acting EFCC chairman had been getting N15million monthly as security votes.
Another official said: “The records are clear. With a month left to the end of the year, Magu has only collected 37 per cent of the statutory N150million security votes (per year) for the office of the EFCC chairman. This is the least the commission has ever recorded.”
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