Nigeria will develop if everyone tackles corruption- EFCC Chairman
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that Nigeria’s under-development would be a thing of the past if everyone begins to see corruption as a common enemy and tackle it.
He stated this on Friday when officials of the Centre for Crisis Communication, CCC, led by the Director of its Board of Trustees, BoT, Major General Chris Olukolade (retd) paid him a courtesy visit at the EFCC corporate headquarters, Abuja.
Olukoyode said “One of the major problems in Nigeria which when tackled, will make under-development a thing of the past, is corruption and financial crimes. A society that is ready to move forward is a responsibility not only of the government, but of the citizens. This is what has actually led some of us to be very committed to this cause. We are ready to go the whole hog to do what we need to do within the confines and
provisions of the law and the power that the Constitution has conferred on us. If everybody makes up his or her mind to do the right thing, we’ll move forward in this country.”
Olukoyede who expressed delight at the proposal of the CCC delegation for collaboration and synergy in the areas of strategic communication and public engagement, re-emphasized that the work and successes of the EFCC run on the wheels of public engagement and advocacy.
“We thank you for proposing a synergy and collaboration with us to support the work we do. One of the strong pillars of our mandate is the issue of public engagement and public advocacy. We will partner with you in that respect. We have so many projects and programmes with respect to letting the public know what we’re doing and we are doing everything possible to ensure that we create awareness on the part of Nigerians with respect to the need for us to be careful and play by the rules.
“However, it is so unfortunate that the same people who approbate also reprobate at the same time. Everybody is crying that Nigerians are corrupt, that the system is corrupt; that corruption is killing us and destroying our system, but when we investigate high profile cases and arraign people in court, the same people will carry placards and be supporting corrupt leaders. It doesn’t show that we are serious about this fight. The fight is supposed to be a collaborative effort. No single agency can do it alone. It is practically impossible for us as EFCC to fight all the battles. The society has a role to play; policy has a role to play and the issue of welfare of the citizens has a role to play,” he said.
Speaking on the trajectory of his leadership, he disclosed that he has prioritized prevention over enforcement since coming on board.
He added “Now we are laying more emphasis on prevention which is a critical aspect of our mandate. We don’t have to always be waiting for money to be stolen before we start working in EFCC.”
Earlier in his remarks, Major General Olukolade disclosed the desire of the CCC to work in partnership and collaboration with the EFCC in the areas of public advocacy and strategic communication, stating that the Centre was a body that works in close collaboration with the security architecture of the country
and supporting government organizations from the point of view of non governmental organization.
While lauding the EFCC for its giant strides in the anti-corruption fight, he stated that.
Touching on the dangers of the anti-corruption war, Olukolade said, “We know that all of this commitment should be drawing a lot of hot air and opposition from people with diverse interests. Our position for instance, as a body is that there’s no reason why anybody should be opposed to the logical efforts of EFCC if he is not guilty or sympathetic to the guilty”.
He admonished the EFCC to be conscious of the antics of mischief makers, reassuring the Commission of CCC’s absolute support.
