By Stanley Onyekwere
In order to effectively tackle criminal activities arising from the operations of Bureau De Change (BDC) in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is set to join forces with Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure sanity.
This is coming on the heels of growing concerns continue to be expressed by the public over some BDC operators purported involvement in financial crimes such as money laundering, economic sabotage and terrorism financing, among others.
Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah made this disclosure over the weekend in a meeting with the BDC operators on plans to sanitise and standardise their operations.
Ikharo explained that the action became necessary following receipt of EFCC letter, requesting the FCTA to bring sanity and global best practices to their activities.
Attah revealed that the EFCC also requested that adequate arrangements be made for them to operate with registered office address in line with provisions of law and international best practices to curtail economic sabotage, money laundering and possibly terrorist financing.
He said: “The Minister gave us order to sanitize activities of BDC currency operators within the FCT, particularly with a focus on Wuse Zone 4, so that we do everything to curtail economic sabotage and tackle the issue of money laundering and possible illegal financing”.
While noting that the CBD operators were a critical and important stakeholder in the forex market, the Minister’s aide however, warned that the FCTA would not allow them continue hawking currency by the roadside and hawk was not proper.
He pointed out that section 8.5 of the revised operational guidelines for Bureau De Change in Nigeria aligns with anti-hawking policy of the FCT.
He however thanked the operators for believing in Abuja and for supporting the FCTA in her quests to keep the city clean up the city and fight against drug peddling.
“The FCT Police Commissioner, NDLEA, NSCDC have all commended you for the role in tackling drug cartel around Zone 4”, he added.
Respondinh, Secretary, Secretary, Zone 4 Bureau De Change Association, Yahaya Jidda Kida appreciated the democrartic and manner civilized the FCTA approached them and assured they are ready to cooperate with the government.
Yahaya noted that they were also “Very concerned about the issues the EFCC raised”, including the drug peddling problem, which he revealed his association had fought, risking their lives and businesses”.
He disclosed that the FCTA under e Nasir el-Rufai (the then FCT Minoster) asked them to collapse their rights and come under one umbrella, and he allocated a piece of land to them to build standard a centre.
Yahaya explained: “Initially, he (el-Rufai) gave us a letter of intent, but the seriousness with which we carried on, he decided to give us Right of Occupancy to facilitate our discussion with financiers
“We cross fertilized ideas within and outside Africa and came out with the best building plan that if allowed to be built, will be the largest and most sophisticated edifice in Abuja.
“The edifice is a 10-storey building, with a mosque and a church, and can accommodate all of us and clear the nuisance in Zone 4, making transactions neat, just like it is done in the developed countries”.
“Fortunately, during the time of Aliero, the land was reallocated to us, but these people didn’t allow us to start development. They went upto the Supreme Court and we don’t want to run prejudice. Those people are not even members of the Zone 4 association”, he said.
He therefore appealed to FCT Minister to bring all stakeholders together and resolve the issue out of court.
On the issue of drug peddling, Yahaya said: “We always fight them tooth and nail; day and night because we don’t want them to be part of us. We are the first call for Ambassadors and we don’t want anyone with criminal activities among us.
“We will cooperate with the Minister to sanitize zone 4 and make it a standard place”, he assured.
Not left out, an Assistant Director in the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), in charge of Monitoring and Enforcement, Kaka Bello revealed that besides concerns raised by the EFCC, section 36 of the AEPB Act prohibits sale of products in unauthorised places, be it money or any other items.
“Your business is corporate and legitimate, unless some of you decide to deviate. You are not like other illegal traders who hawk drugs or sell items on the streets.
“Unfortunately, some of your members have joined. Sometimes when we come to apprehend some of the criminals we cannot even differentiate them”, he stressed.
