House Advances Legislation to Reduce Presidential Influence Over EFCC Leadership

Story: written by Joseph October 24,2025
The House of Representatives has progressed a bill aimed at restructuring the governance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by granting the agency greater autonomy from executive authority. The proposed amendment to the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004, sponsored by Yusuf Gagdi of Plateau State, successfully passed its second reading during Thursday’s plenary session.

The initiative intends to strengthen the institutional independence of the EFCC and align its operations with contemporary global standards in anti-corruption enforcement. According to Gagdi, the current legal framework remains outdated and insufficient to address the increasingly complex financial crime landscape.

While presenting the objectives of the bill at a sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Gagdi noted that criminal activities have evolved significantly since the Act was introduced. He identified emerging threats such as cyber fraud, cryptocurrency-related crime, illicit capital transfers, terrorism funding, and property-driven money laundering as new challenges demanding a more robust statutory mandate.

The lawmaker stressed that the present Act leaves the Commission vulnerable to external pressure. Under existing provisions, the President retains unilateral authority to dismiss the EFCC Chairman without legislative oversight.

Gagdi’s amendment proposes a major change to this structure. It would require a two-thirds majority approval from both chambers of the National Assembly before the removal of the Commission’s Chairman could be finalized. He argued that such a safeguard would minimize political interference and reinforce the legitimacy of anti-corruption efforts.

Enhancing independence, he added, would improve public trust and ensure that the EFCC functions as a credible, transparent, and professional institution.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Crimes, Ginger Onwusibe, supported the bill. He observed that the amendment is overdue because the original Act did not anticipate today’s sophisticated financial crime schemes.

Lawmakers are expected to continue deliberations on the bill in subsequent stages as the House seeks to fortify Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework and promote stronger governance standards nationwide.