Ola Olukoyede, the Executive Chairman, of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that the war against corruption cannot be won through lip service, emotional outbursts or mere mob campaigns.
“There is a need for commitment, passion, consistency and credibility of intelligence. Every whistle blown must point towards truth and evidential proofs. There is punishment for false claims and misleading intelligence,” Ola warned.
In his message read by Dr Benedict Ubi, the Acting Zonal Director EFCC Zonal Directorate Kaduna on the occasion of 2024 African Anti-corruption Day on Thursday in Kaduna, the EFCC boss said the world over, the issue of corruption has been a bane to both local and global development.
“Aside terrorism, corruption ranks as the next deadliest affliction of humanity in every region of the world,” he said.
“In view of the danger and threat to our existence which corruption represents, it is imperative that individuals, communities, corporate bodies and indeed the whole world join hands together to tackle it frontally. One way of doing this is through the whistle-blowing initiative.”
“The Whistle-Blowing Policy in Nigeria, was launched on December 21, 2016 by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Finance as an anti-corruption programme that encourages people to voluntarily disclose information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, abuse or embezzlement of government assets and any other form of corruption or theft.”
“The theme of the 2024 African Anti-Corruption Day is “Effective Whistleblowing for Corruption-Free Nigeria”. Whistleblowers are anti-corruption promoters. Through their efforts, anti-corruption agencies are alerted about environmental compromises that should be investigated. The alert can come through verbal and non-verbal corridors. At the EFCC, the Eagle Eye app is an established corruption reporting device that is generating intelligence the Commission can leverage on.”
” I urge whistleblowers to key into this device. Mails can be sent, telephone calls can be made, and personal visits can be made to any EFCC Command across the country to expose acts of shadiness around us. We also assure every whistle-blower of protection. EFCC will never betray you!
“One salient fact about whistle blowing is that it shows commitment and drive towards anti-corruption. No effort is too little in this regard. Although there are ample rewards accruable to the whistleblower, the most important thing is the need to move the wheel of anti-corruption forward. This is a duty for every Nigerian and it is the focus of this year’s anti-corruption Day.”
“On this note, I want all of us to embrace this obligation more seriously. We cannot win the war against corruption through lip service, emotional outburst or mere mob campaigns. There is a need for commitment, passion, consistency and credibility of intelligence. Every whistle blown must point towards truth and evidential proofs. There is punishment for false claims and misleading intelligence.”
“Let us always remember that corruption affects all of us. An internet fraudster poses as much danger to our collective progress as a looter of our national treasury. We should not encourage their villainy by being indifferent, silent or non-committal. Whistle blowing is our own opportunity to kick against corruption. Let’s embrace it totally,” he said.
Highlight of the occasion was an ‘ Anti Corruption Walk ‘ which took the EFFC officials, operatives of para military organisations, the military and journalists on a 2 km walk within Kaduna metropolis.
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