No Zonal Head Has Power To Sell Assets—Bawa

<p>No Zonal Head has the powers in EFCC to sell assets<br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that Abdulrasheed Bawa&comma; nominee for the position of chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission &lpar;EFCC&rpar;&comma; has said that no zonal head in the agency has the powers to dispose off government asset&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The young chairman also stated that not even the chairman of the agency has the powers to sell off confisticated assets&comma; adding that he has never sold a single asset recovered by the commission&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;He made this disclosure during an interview session with the Senate screening committee&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The nominee had been accused of diverting assets seized by the anti-graft agency — an allegation the commission denied&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Speaking during his screening at the senate on Wednesday&comma; Bawa said as head of the Port Harcourt zonal office&comma; he did not have the power to sell any asset recovered under his watch&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;According to him&comma; the power to dispose of any asset lies with the secretary of the commission&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I never sold a single truck at the Port Harcourt office&semi; the head office handled that at the time&comma;” the nominee told the senate&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;When I took over the Port Harcourt office&comma; they had 34 convictions but when I got there&comma; we recorded 216 convictions&period;”<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Anybody that is familiar with the processes of the EFCC knows that the chairman doesn’t have the power to sell an asset but the secretary of the agency&period;”<br &sol;>&NewLine;Bawa said if confirmed&comma; he would work towards strengthening the anti-graft agency&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Before we reposition&comma; we need to know what the institution stands for&period; We would work on our standard operational procedures to improve on those procedures&comma;” he said&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We are looking forward to an EFCC that when I give an instruction to a junior officer&semi; he will refuse it because that order contravenes the law&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;