News: EFCC Quizzed 240 Civil Servants In 2013

The Federal Government on Monday stated that over 240 civil servants were last year quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission over alleged link with graft.
But the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Buka Aji, has stated that the number of letters received by his office from the anti-grafts agencies inviting senior officers for interrogation have reduced drastically.
The HoS attributed the reduction to various reforms being put in place by his office to curb any act of corruption and guide against any negative attraction to the office of the HoS. Aji stated these in Abuja during an interactive session with Directors of Administration in the Federal Civil Service, held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He also announced the creation of two new departments in some strategic ministries in the Federal Civil Service.

They are the Department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement and a General Services department.

According to the HoS, the creation of the new departments was in line with the efforts being made to improve service delivery and ensure the sustenance of the various initiatives in the current reforms through the utilisation of the highly skilled manpower in the Federal Civil Service.

He warned the civil servants to shun corruption, adding that he had put in some drastic measures to ensure that some key positions were made less attractive for corruption.

Aji said, “I am glad that it’s not how it used to be in the past; the number of letters we used to receive at the office of the Head of Service from the EFCC or ICPC, inviting senior officers have drastically reduced. I can’t remember seeing more than two letters now.

“But there were times last year it was a deluge. Today, you see one. The following day, you see one, two days,  three days, after you see one. We were seeing it almost everyday last year. What this means is that if this numbers have drastically reduced, you will be more careful. Be aware of the dangers, we have been relating with the EFCC and the ICPC.”