With a heavy heart, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, yesterday presented over N34.6 million terminal insurance benefit cheques to the families of four dead officials. 

He said the commission owes the deceased, who died  between June 2010 and January, last year, an obligation to ensure that their death was not in vain. 

The list of the  dead and the accruing  insurance benefits are as follows: Alhassan Mathew (N10,047,306.43); Nandir Daniel(N4, 673,962.02); Sunday Owai (N13,182,438.50); and Enoma Orishemola(N6, 720.598.80). 

The EFCC chairman, who was emotionally overwhelmed, at the cheques presentation  to the next of kin of the deceased, said: “This is a solemn occasion; I will not be able to entertain any question. Please, bear with me gentlemen of the press.” 

He said the widow’s mite was meant to alleviate the hardship of their loved ones. 

Lamorde said:  “If I had a choice, I would have wished that the circumstances of our meeting were different. 

“This event is sad reminder of the fact of our mortality; of the road everyone must travel. If it were within our powers, I am sure each one of us would have liked to control the circumstances of his or her passage. 

“However, death is one fact of our existence and sojourn on earth, which lies totally beyond our control. And because of –or in spite of- its inevitability, death often leaves in its wake so much grief, in addition to the irreversible permanence of the loss and other consequential outcomes. 

“Even if we wanted, wished and prayed for our dear departed colleagues to still be with us today, the fact unfortunately is, they have left us at their appointed time and we can only pray to Almighty God to grant them eternal peace and rest. 

“While there is nothing any of us can do about death, there is something we can -and duty charges us to- do for our departed colleagues. 

“We owe the families they left behind, our widow’s mite to help alleviate whatever hardship they may face over the loss of their loved ones. 

“And beyond that, we owe it to their memory, and indeed, to all Nigerians, to make sure that their deaths will not be in vain. We will not rest until the course of justice is fully served. 

“Today in addition to the duties we have continued to discharge as individuals and as an organisation, we are making a formal presentation of the terminal insurance benefits of our departed colleagues to their families.” 

Posted by admin on Mar 13 2012. Filed under EFCC Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry