>
A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mrs. Farida Waziri, has said that she came under “fierce attacks, slander, blackmail and threats” while trying to end oil-money induced corruption in the country.
Her media aide, Mr. Ade Williams, released a statement on Saturday, quoting her as saying that she was happy that there is a new sheriff in town, in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Waziri spoke at the Benue State University in Makurdi during the inauguration of World Bank’s Africa Centre of Excellence Project, Centre for Food Technology and Research.
According to Waziri, long years of over-dependence on oil revenue was one of the driving forces of public and private sector corruption in the country.
She said: “No doubt, our over-dependence on oil revenue has brought us to the point where we are as a nation today. As an anti-corruption czar, I have seen how some of those the nation entrusted with its oil resources in the past helped themselves more than the country.
“With our focus on agriculture, the struggle by political office holders to steal oil fund would diminish while the national wealth will be in the hands of the people instead of a privileged greedy few. We cannot all dig oil wells in our backyard but we can all farm in our backyards. It is time to end oil-money induced corruption in our land by buying into President Buhari’s vision and take ownership.
“I have made my contributions in the fight to discourage that and even recovered some of the looted funds in billions of dollars. For daring to do that, I came under fierce attacks, slander, blackmail and threats but by God’s grace and long years of experience, I survived all. I am glad today that indeed, there is a new sheriff in town.”
BENSU was chosen by the World Bank as one of the centres for its 10 Africa Centre of Excellence Project.