The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC Mr. Ola Olukoyede says Individuals, communities, corporate bodies and the whole world must join hands to fight corruption in view of the threat it poses to existence, since the war against corruption cannot be won through lip service.
He stated this in his message at an awareness walk on the occasion of 2024 African Anti-corruption Day held in Kaduna.
Olukoyede who was represented by Dr. Benedict Ubi who is the Acting Zonal Director EFCC Zonal Directorate Kaduna and Niger states emphasized the role that whistle blowing can play in stemming corruption.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he said.
Reading from the text titled, “Deepening Anti-Corruption Fight Through Effective Whistle Blowing” he said that the world over, the issue of corruption has been a bane to both local and global development.
“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,” he said.
Speaking on the theme of the 2024 African Anti-Corruption Day, “Effective Whistleblowing for Corruption-Free Nigeria” he said that 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!” He said.
The EFCC Chairman stressed that 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,” he declared.
Olukoyede therefore, charged all 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,” he said.
Adamu Yusuf
