The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, at a three-day Management Retreat of the Commission, at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, with the theme: “Consolidating on Achievements for Enhanced Performance and Greater Impact”, charged the management staff of the Commission to see themselves as critical stakeholders in the anti-corruption crusade, while exploring new initiatives to further galvanise the fight against economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.
According to Bawa: “We are the leaders of this organisation and we cannot expect angels to come down and help us.”
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement disclosed that the Commission’s chairman said that the retreat was convened to create a family atmosphere, where the operatives are expected to tell ourselves the truth – the whole truth.
According to Bawa, “Luckily, at the EFCC, we have our own Strategic Plan, so we need to go through and come up with ways we want to move the Commission to greater heights.”
He further urged the participants to think outside the box, stressing that, “We are not only doing it for ourselves, but for the EFCC and our country, Nigeria.”
Making reference to the achievements of Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One driver, he stressed that cooperation was needed for success and progress to be achieved “as Hamilton could not have achieved the feat without those working with him.
“We need to re-strategise and build the system,” he said.
The Secretary to the Commission, Dr. George Ekpungu, had said that there was need, at every point in time, for an organisation to evaluate its activities, with the hindsight of strategizing to advance its mission and vision.
According to him, “We have gathered here for the Retreat, in order to take stock of our activities in the past year across all our departments and operations, evaluate them, and come up with projections for the current year, while restrategising to achieve the set goals.”
Speaking on the topic, “Strategic Leadership: An Imperative for Optimum Organisational Performance”, Air Marshal Mohammad Garba Gumi (rtd.), Directing Staff, National Institute for Security Studies, took participants through a critical thinking of the role leadership plays in the direction that an organisation goes.
He described strategy as the balanced relationship among “ends, ways and means.”
He said: “Ends are the objectives or goals sought and this explains what is to be accomplished; and if accomplished, create or contribute to the achievement of the desired end.
“Strategy can be applied at national level and level of the organisation; and it is a relationship between ends, ways and means and must be balanced.
“For any organisation to succeed, it must get its strategy right.”
Commending the EFCC for having a Strategic Plan, which copiously distils the Commission’s vision, mission, and core values, he urged the staff of the Commission not to “be dejected” in their fight against corruption, in spite of all the challenges facing them.
He also noted that “capacity building is a very important resource” in any strategic plan.
Gumi noted that globalisation had blurred the difference among the three main strategy levels-tactical, operational and leadership-adding that “No matter how conceptualised the strategy is, leadership boils down to influencing your environment to achieve specific objectives given to you.”
According to him, strategic leaders address four critical questions: “Where we right now; where do we want to go; how do we get there, and how do we measure our progress?”
In his presentation titled, “Leadership in the 21st Century and Organisational Performance”, Dr. Linus Okorie, a Leadership Development Consultant, provided down-to-earth practical examples to distil necessary leadership skills needed to help move the Commission forward.
“You must think strategically and take strategic decisions,” he said.
Shedding light on the 21st Century realities of leadership, he stressed that globalisation, technology, diversity, information overload, and individualism, “now have roles to play, especially as the world has now become a global village.”
He added: “Leadership without strategy is a tragedy.”
He itemised leadership demands in the 21st Century to include learning, thinking, envisioning, executing, and planning.
According to him, the characteristics of a 21st Century leader include “being a change-maker; being a multiplier of talent among staff; a lover of values; a collaborator; a strategic thinker; a solution provider, and a networker.
“Leaders are custodians of vision, and it is the responsibility of the leader to transfer that vision.”
Other presentations bordered on “Mental Health and Wellbeing”; “Fundamental Human Rights: Obligations of the EFCC”; “Electronic Documents Management System”; “Assessment of the Implementation of the EFCC Strategic Plan 2021-2025”; “Digitalisation of the EFCC Processes and Procedures” and “Assessment of the Implementation of the Commission’s Policies and SOPs.”
Participants at the Retreat include Directors in the Commission, Unit Heads, and Zonal Commanders.