The United States has expressedsupport for the newly appointed head of the Nigerian Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri. The statementwas issued by US Ambassador to Nigeria Robin Sanders. 

It pledged to continue tohelp the anti-graft agency become more effective. The Britishgovernment has also promised to return over $100 million dollars in bankaccounts – money allegedly looted by former Nigerian government officials.Meanwhile, several influential organizations, including human rightsgroups, have gone to court to challenge Waziri’s appointment.          

Debo Adeniran is chairman of theCoalition Against Corrupt Leaders in Nigeria. He says the US endorsement of Waziri is not in the interest of thosepushing for transparency in the appointment of key government officials.

              
“TheU.S. has been behaving as if it has double standard foreign policy. At onebreath, the U.S. will says they do not want to intervene in the internalaffairs of other sovereign nations. At another point, they will now accentuatethe sabotage of a legal process within the same sovereign nation. When it suitsthe U.S. government, it says it is our own business and we should manage it. Now,this case of Farida Waziri is not one of those things that we expect agovernment like that of the US interfere (in) because it is our own internalaffairs.”
 

Askedabout his criticism of the United States in light of past help in fightingcorruption, tracking down missing funds and generally providing assistance tothe EFCC, Adeniranacknowledged the United States has helped the agency; he added that the U.S.has promised to continue to help. Buthe says it should have insisted that the Nigerian government follow lawfulprocedure in appointing Waziri. “What we know is that the US has supported eventhe EFCC up till the present moment and are not going to withdraw it; what weare saying is that when it comes to appointment and removal of those who are supposedto head our agencies, it is purely our own internal affairs.”

Adeniran says while the action by theBritish government to return looted funds is commendable, appointments of keyagencies must be devoid of controversies. “What we are saying is not that shemay not be able to do even better than Nuhu Ribadu (her predecessor); what weare saying is that the laws of the land, the law that was passed by theNational Assembly, should be obeyed to the letter.”