Ascertaining the effectiveness of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in tackling corruptions in Nigeria
| Pages | 658-668 |
| Published date | 02 July 2018 |
| Date | 02 July 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-01-2017-0003 |
| Author | Ibrahim Umar,Rose Shamsiah Samsudin,Mudzamir bn Mohamed |
| Subject Matter | Accounting & Finance,Financial risk/company failure,Financial crime |
Ascertaining the effectiveness of
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) in tackling
corruptions in Nigeria
Ibrahim Umar,Rose Shamsiah Samsudin and
Mudzamir bn Mohamed
Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to appraise the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) of their role in tackling systemic corruptions and to associate how institutional and
organizationalfactors influence the performance of the EFCC.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were gathered through in-depthinterviews, non-participatory
observationsand documentary analysis.
Findings –The results of the integr ative analysis show that the EFCC has appa rently been ineffective,
and further improvization of the organization is needed. Poor performance of the EFCC was associated
with factors such as lack of commitment, inefficient judiciary, insufficient budgets and incompetent
personnel.
Practical implications –This study recommends further improvements in the form of a greater
political will, improved legal process and also elevated budgetary funds and recruitment of personnel to
the EFCC.
Originality/value –The study adopted a descriptive, qualitative case study approach to describe the
current stateof the EFCC in Nigeria.
Keywords Nigeria, Corruption, EFCC, ACAs
Paper type Case study
1. Introduction
The idea of tackling corruption through the formation of an independent agency has been
well-documented in literature (Meagher, 2005;Quah, 2013b). These specialized agencies,
known as anti-corruption agencies(ACAs), are establishedto minimize the level of corruption
in their respective countries. However, despite numerous literature, very few contributions
focus on the effectiveness of ACAs’performance of roles and functions, and hence, scarce
number of systematic studies appear to have been made. Meagher (2005), for example,
cautioned that the performance of ACAs has received insufficient scrutiny and generally
lacks rigor. Consequently, the performances of these institutions, especially in developing
countries,in tackling corruption have remaineda topic of discussion among the stakeholders
and academic cycles.The aim of this article is threefold: first, to appraise the effectivenessof
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) in tackling systemic corruptionsin
Nigeria; second, to identify how institutional and organizational factors influence the
performanceof the EFCC; and third, to suggest some policyrecommendations for addressing
the identifiedinfluences of institutional andorganizational factors on the effectiveness of the
EFCC.
JFC
25,3
658
Journalof Financial Crime
Vol.25 No. 3, 2018
pp. 658-668
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1359-0790
DOI 10.1108/JFC-01-2017-0003
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