The Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crime has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), of abusing the process of getting funds from the Service-Wide Votes.

Appearing before the Senate Committee to defend his agency’s 2017 budget, Acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, told the lawmakers that the EFCC approached the presidency and secured an additional 1.8 billion Naira from the Service-Wide Votes.

The Committee Chairman, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, however expressed displeasure at the EFCC for failing to inform lawmakers of the extra budgetary allocation.

The EFCC is seeking a budget of N17.2 billion for 2017. Magu told the Senators that this represents an 8.5% decrease in the total proposed budget of the Commission from N18.8 billion in 2016.

He noted that the Commission has increased personnel cost arising from the on-going recruitment of 1,500 new cadets approved for 2016 and 2017. ‎

He urged the Committee to increase the capital allocation by an additional N1.7 billion to accommodate the cost of the additional work in the construction of the Commission's new head office complex which was not in the original contract bill. ‎

‎The EFCC boss lamented that inadequate funding continues to hamper the Commission ability to implement the projected plans.

‎Speaking on the performance of the 2016 appropriation, he said the Commission achieved over 95.11% utilisation in all the categories of funds appropriated for it.

‎He added that the Commission realised the sum of N1.2 million as independent revenue from the tendered fees in the course of the 2016 financial year, stating that this was remitted to the consolidated revenue fund. ‎

Senator Utazi, while expressing the readiness of the Committee to support the EFCC in the discharge of its statutory duties, noted that there was need to assess 2017 budget details with a view to ensuring that the EFCC is strengthened.

‎‎He said that the essence of the Committee’s oversight functions so far had been to know the challenges facing the EFCC.

•Additional reports by Channels TV.