* Tasks North-West CSOs On Grassroots Anti-Graft Campaign
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Secretary to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Muhammad Hammajoda, has tasked parents across the country to be more committed to the upbringing of their children and offer good examples in order to raise the bar of Integrity at home.
He gave this charge on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 while receiving members of the Advocacy for Positive Behavioral Patterns Initiative, AFPBPI, at the corporate headquarters of the EFCC in Abuja.
A statement by the EFCC Spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said Hammajoda said the fight against corruption cannot be fought by the Commission alone and that it will require the involvement of parents, role models and other stakeholders.
“Let us be good examples to our young ones because our moral values have gone so bad, in such a way that many youths are into many things like drugs, they tell lies, they are corrupt and out of control. Parents should be able to correct and call them to order by not only speaking to their children but also living by example, because children are very observant of their parents' behaviors", he said
He further stressed that the Commission prioritizes prevention initiatives against corruption, assuring that the EFCC was ready to cooperate and collaborate with them in creating awareness.
"That is why we need people like you to be our foot soldiers to enable us reach out to schools because the change begins with them at a very young age. That is why we need people like you to be our foot soldiers to enable us reach out to schools because the change begins with them at a very young age” he said
Speaking earlier, Director of the Campaign Team of AFPBPI, Mann Bamidele, says that the purpose of the initiative is to mpact positively in the lives of children and youths by catching them young and sensitizing them against crimes especially to enable them to have more useful directions in life.
“Part of the work of our NGO is to ensure that the Commission succeeds on its mandate, so we want to offer sensitization to the youths and children by imbibing good characters. All these values should be taught at a very young age to enable them to become better persons in society so that they will not end up in prison. We have also produced a handbook that will soon be available to youths and teenagers across the country. The handbook is meant to infuse in them positive attitudes especially against advance fee fraud and other societal menace”, he said.
He further mentioned that they are willing to partner with the Commission in the areas of capacity- building of its resource personnels, sensitization of youths and active engagement of other layers of the society to the need for accountable practices.
In a related development, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has called on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across the country to join the Commission in driving its anti-corruption campaigns to the grassroots.
He made the call on Thursday, November 30, 2023 in Sokoto, at a One-day Engagement parley between the EFCC and CSOs drawn from Kebbi, Zamfara, and Sokoto states. According to him, engagement with CSOs has become imperative in the quest of the EFCC to build synergy with different interest groups and that the success story of the Commission cannot be told without the support and partnership of CSOs.
“In view of the forgoing, I assure you that not only will greater vigour and impetus be added to this symbiotic relationship; but the EFCC will be relying on you now more than ever to help in galvanizing and sustaining goodwill between us and the public we serve,” he stated.
The EFCC’s boss who spoke through the Sokoto Zonal Commander, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Aliyu Yunusa noted that the essence of the engagement was to enjoin the participants, who are closer to the citizens to spread the message of anti-corruption to the grassroots, using local dialects in preaching against the ills of corruption. “Criticize us constructively because the EFCC is one of the most tasked, professional agencies in Nigeria today,” he said.
On his part, Head, Public Interface Unit of the Commission, ACE 1 Tony Orilade said the Commission placed greater emphasis on fraud prevention because it was cheaper and easier to prevent fraud occurrence than to manage it.
“The engagement with central stakeholders like the CSOs is very central to the mission of the Commission which is to rid Nigeria of economic and financial crimes,” he said. He further rolled out the channels by which the stakeholders can reach out to the Commission for effective collaboration.
Speaking in the same vein, Head of Enlightenment and Reorientation Unit of the Commission, ACE II Aisha Mohammed enjoined the participants to support the Commission in driving the anti-corruption fight down to the grassroots, observing that the EFCC cannot be everywhere.
“With the support of stakeholders like you, the mandate of the Commission in ridding the country of all sorts of economic and financial crimes will be achievable. We cannot be everywhere that is why we decided to come to your doorstep and talk to you. We want to enlist you in this fight. We need you to be our eyes, our ears. We are here to brainstorm with you on how we can improve on our preventive mandate. CSOs are the major stakeholders we have and we will always consult and collaborate in the overall interests of the nation,” she said.
The Chairman, Coalition for Non-governmental Organisations, Bello Shehu Gwadabawa, thanked the Commission for coming up with such an engagement, noting that it will go a long way in building bridges with the Commission. He called on the Commission to continue with such collaboration and to continue opening its doors to the public, especially the CSOs for interactions to enhance transparency and accountability.
“Before this engagement, some of our members were even afraid to pass through the street where the EFCC is located, but this engagement has changed that narrative and has brought us closer to the Commission. We will continue to support the EFCC in its quest to cleanse Nigeria of all forms of economic and financial crimes,” he said. NNL.
