Appropriation Bill: EFCC Requests N41bn For 2023 Operations

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said it needs N41 billion for its operations in 2023.

The Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said this while presenting an estimate of N41,120,071,521.75 (Forty One Billion, One Hundred and Twenty Million, Seventy One Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty One Naira, Seventy-Five Kobo) to the National Assembly as its budget for the year 2023.

He explained that the proposal comprises the sum of N36,834,903,804.75 (Thirty Six billion, Eight Hundred and Thirty Four million, Nine Hundred and Three Thousand, Eight Hundred and Four Naira, Seventy Five Kobo) only as Personnel cost; while the sum of N3,835,460,631.00 (Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Thirty Five Million, Four Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty One Naira) and N530,707,086.00 (Five Hundred and Thirty Million, Seven Hundred and Seven Thousand, Eighty Six Naira) represent the Overhead and Capital vote component.

According to him, the 2023 estimate of N41, 120,071,521.75 is slightly lower than the N43, 696,381,562.46 appropriations for 2022.

He, however, disclosed that only 53 per cent of the appropriation had been released as at August 31, 2022, with the budget performance put at 83.35 per cent of the total releases.

Highlighting the Commission’s performance in 2022, Bawa disclosed that the EFCC recorded a total of 2,847 convictions as at October 21, 2022. The figure, he said, is higher than the 2,220 convictions recorded by the Commission in 2021.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriations, Senator Suleiman Abdul Kwari, lauded the reforms in the Commission.

He said he was pleasantly surprised to discover the existence of a Petitions Vetting Committee which examines every petition to determine its relevance to the mandate of the EFCC. He explained that one of his constituents who had petitioned the Commission recently got a reply from the committee, explaining why his petition could not be treated. This, to him, demonstrated sensitivity and commitment to service.