By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Executive Chairman, of the Echono and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has lamented that corruption has remained the bane to both local and global development.
The EFCC boss, who made the lamentation on Thursday in a statement on the occasion of 2024 African Anti-corruption Day, said:
“There can be no accurate statistical or quantitative evaluation of the havoc corruption is wreaking on genuine efforts at development because of its pervasive and recurring nature.
“Aside terrorism, corruption ranks as the next deadliest affliction of humanity in every region of the world.
“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 initiative.”
It would be recalled that 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”.
According to Olukoyede, who noted that whistle blowers are anti-corruption promoters, assured them of protection, adding that “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 acruable 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.
“Finally, 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,” the statement added.