Chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba, has expressed concern over the poor funding of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, especially the construction of the Commission's ten storey Head-Office building in Abuja.

Hon. Jagaba who led other members of the Committee to the EFCC on over-sight function on Wednesday, September 25, 2013, said he was at the Commission to assess 2013 budget performance while preparing for the 2014 budget defence.
"I have come to see the level of work done at the head office building, your facilities, the challenges you are facing and how to resolve the challenges", Hon Jagaba said.
The EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, earlier told the visiting Committee members that the only capital project currently under construction which is the Head Office complex situated along the Airport road awarded to Messer Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, JBN, on 27th November 2010 at a total cost of N18,867,783, 615.00, for a 36 months completion period, is almost abandoned.
Lamorde who said that about N9 billion, has been paid to JBN, explained that only N3 billion was approved for the project out of the outstanding N12 billion as at January 2013. "Going by the terms of the contract agreement, the handover of the Head Office Complex ought to be the next two months, but only 41 percentage of work has been done", he said.
He also said that the Commission has paid about N402 million as extra costs due to exchange rate variation which is as a result of not meeting up with the 36 months hand over period as contained in the terms of agreement.
The Chairman also said that the delay in the completion of the Head Office building is eating deep into the finances of the Commission as so much is spent on renting buildings across the Capital City. "Our operations are spread all over the city. We have rented offices in seven locations in Abuja. This also means we must service generators in each of the locations which is the alternative power source", Lamorde said.
Hon. Jagaba who listened to the EFCC Chairman carefully said the reason for the Committee's visit was to know such challenges and how they could sit down and work out solutions to the challenges. "We have every reason to make adjustment to the budget proposal from the federal government and not just to rubber stamp such proposal. Even if it means increasing your budget, the Committee has power to do that".
The Committee members visited the cells, exhibit room, interrogation room, forensic Unit, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the Head Office building under construction where they expressed concern over the abandonment of the project by the JBN.

Media & Publicity,
25th September, 2013.