Merging of ICPC and EFCC is not a magic bullet to making the anti-corruption agencies more effective. Political will is vital to ensuring the success of the anti-corruption agencies. Although the EFCC is perceived to be more effective than the ICPC due to its arrest and prosecution of high profile individuals in both the public and private sector, both anti-corruption agencies face challenges which hinder them from operating effectively. Some of the problems facing the anti-corruption agencies include weak legal framework, lack of adequate funding, delay in trials of corruption cases and lack of adequate investigative capacity. Merging does not address these issues.
What should be done? The anti-corruption agencies should be strengthened and be allowed to operate independently from each other rather than merging. Though some of their functions overlap sometimes (as they both deal with corruption in the public and private sector), they still have different areas of focus. Based on their mandates, the EFCC is focused on combating all forms of economic and financial crimes which includes advance fee fraud (commonly known as 419), money laundering, and bank fraud while the ICPC deals with curbing corruption in the public sector.
How can they be strengthened? The laws establishing these agencies should be made stronger in order to make them more independent and effective. This should include ensuring that the agencies have financial autonomy which will make them independent from government. They should be allowed to retain a certain percentage of proceeds received from crime. The agencies need to be adequately funded in order to effectively discharge their duties.
The fight against corruption should be a holistic approach involving both citizens and governments. The government should do its part of strengthening these agencies rather than breaking them. The agencies should be allowed to operate independently without any interference. The anti-corruption agencies should not be merged; rather the government should strengthen them. Merging these agencies does not make them more effective or address the challenges facing the agencies.
