President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday charged the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to sustain the.fight against corruption in the country.
Tinubu made the call when he inaugurated the EFCC new zonal directorate office in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The President. who was represented by his deputy, Kashim Shettima,insisted that the fight against graft must be organised, sustained and supported by the right institutions, the right tools and the right working environment.
According to him, the law enforcement agencies, which are critical to the collective safety, security, prosperity and general well-being of NIgerians must have the necessary facilities to enhance their efficiency.
Tinubu expressed the government’s commitment to strengthening anti-corruption agencies through conducive working environments, competitive workplaces, repair packages, operational independence, and adequate training opportunities.
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He said: “I am confident that this facility will further motivate EFCC staff to rededicate themselves to combating economic and financial crimes which remain major obstacles for our nation’s progress.
“The commission acquires a central position in both our economic report and our national security.
“Its contributions to tackling cyber terrorism are evident in the dismantling of a foreign controlled cryptocurrency syndicate in Lagos resulting in the conviction of 192 foreigners in a single operation.
“The commission has made resources available for critical social investment programmes such as the students loan scheme and the consumer credit scheme.
“The EFCC’s recent prosecution of several high-profile corruption cases, including the conviction of a former minister and a former managing director of a national investment bank, sends a clear message that there are no hiding places for the corrupt.
“I encourage the EFCC and its sister agencies, the ICPC, to sustain the present tempo until corruption is reduced to the barest minimum in our national life.”
Earlier, the Chairman of EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede, said the inauguration of the complex was a statutory responsibility in taking the crusade against corruption to the people of Ekiti and Ondo States, including the contiguous communities and towns.
“For many years, coverage of Ekiti and Ondo States by the commission was a little more than perfunctory owing to the overlap in responsibility by distant zones, which left gaps in our enforcement framework.
“The chink is now permanently covered with this modern office complex. With this investment, I want to pledge that fraudsters would have no hiding places in the zone,” Olukoyede stated.
(Ripples)
