Dankwambo tells outgoing govs to expect EFCC, ICPC visits

Former Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo, has told outgoing governors to “be prepared for the visits of such institutions like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit who may ask some questions that need answers.”

This is as former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, advised the governors to abstain from interfering in the governance of their states as they prepare to leave office later this month.

Dankwambo, Saraki, and others spoke on Sunday night at the farewell dinner for outgoing governors held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

They spoke to the outgoing governors on how to prepare for life after office.

Dankwambo recalled the difficulty of transiting from office to out of it, narrating how an unnamed former governor, who had a flight to catch to Benin City, kept sitting and sipping coffee in the departure lounge of a Nigerian airport, not knowing that the plane had taken off.

The incident, which drew a thunderous laughter from the audience, according to Dankwambo, happened because the former governor as usual was waiting for his aides to remind him of boarding time.

He urged outgoing governors to bear with the pressure of friction likely to occur between them and their successors.

In his words, “You are retiring from work, not life. Avoid meddling in the affairs of your predecessors. As you get older, your health cannot be taken for granted. You have to bear with the pressure.

“Begin to prepare for retirement as soon as you are sworn in. Be prepared for the visits of such institutions like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit who may ask some questions that need answers.”