EFCC: Newly Appointed AGF, Anamekwe Nwabuoku In Corruption Scandal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is reportedly investigating the newly appointed acting overseer of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Anamekwe Nwabuoku.

Recall that the Muhammadu Buhari-led government had recently appointed Nwabuoku to oversee the Office of the AGF.

His appointment comes days after the suspension of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, over alleged corruption.

The EFCC had arrested Idris for financial fraud to the tune of N80billion.

In a letter from the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Aliyu Ahmed, said the appointment is pending the outcome of the investigation.

But Economic Confidential reports that Idris temporal replacement is also being investigated by the anti-corruption agency.

It was gathered that the corruption allegations are related to former positions Anamekwe Nwabuoku held.

Sources to the medium that the EFCC is investigating him for a series of graft allegations and Nwabuoku is known to visit the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency on a regular basis as part of the investigation routine.

Some of the allegations against him include overpayment to himself in previous MDAs he served.

It was gathered that some of the properties he acquired fraudulently have been recovered by anti-corruption agencies.

One of the sources revealed that perhaps his major financial crime was allegedly committed while he was the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) at the Ministry of Defence where he was said to have allegedly enriched himself with internal security funds.

He was allegedly involved in other fraudulent activities and using the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) to steal the salaries of federal government staff.

The GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting. It was adopted as part of a wider Public Service Reform Strategy by the federal government of Nigeria starting in the early 2000s. Nwabuoku however compromised the system and made away with humongous amount of money.

Asked to explain why the federal government opted to appoint a man with such questionable records to oversee an office vacated by an allegedly corrupt AGF, a top official in the Presidency said Nwabuoku was the most senior official in the office.

“He is not acting AGF but overseeing OAGF as the most senior director in the office,” the official declared.