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The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has stated that the primary obstacle hindering Nigeria’s progress is the inherent flaw in the country’s system, which inadvertently enables fraudulent activities to thrive.
However, Olukoyede tempered this assertion by acknowledging that, despite the pervasive challenge of corruption, the Nigerian people are inherently good and that the implementation of transparency and accountability in the nation’s affairs is a feasible goal.
Olukoyede made the statements in Abuja on Thursday, August 22, 2024 when a delegation of the management staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, led by its MD/CEO, Chief Samuel Ogbuku paid him a courtesy visit at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters.
The EFCC boss who disclosed that Ogbuku impressed him in the few moments of discussion he had with him with his determination to bring a change in NDDC, expressed support for the rebirthing which he is initiating in the Commission
“The five minutes of interaction with the MD left me with a different perception of NDDC. I want to congratulate and also thank you for your readiness and commitment to bring change. Maybe we will begin to see an NDDC that is a symbol of pride, accountability, transparency and able to deliver on its mandate. That is what the NDDC should stand for, and I want to thank you for bringing that to the table. From his presentation, you can see that he is somebody that is ready to bring a change, and that is the exact thing that we stand for in EFCC. It is possible for us to build a system of accountability, transparency and integrity in Nigeria”, he said.
Olukoyede used the occasion to urge all public office holders to uphold probity, transparency and accountability in the management of the finances they hold in trust for the public knowing that a day of reckoning would surely come.
“Always have it in the back of your mind that while you are on this side today, you might be on the other side tomorrow. Let it be the guiding principle of those in position of trust in everything they do. That has always been my own guiding principle, because you will not be there forever. You can protect certain things today, but if you leave, you will discover the person closest to you, may be someone who benefitted from you would be the one to come and expose you, so let us be guided in all that we do going forward”, he said.
He further stressed that the challenge of corruption demanded that only leaders with high morals should hold positions of trust. “Fundamentally, Nigerians are good people and I say this anywhere I go. I am proud to be a Nigerian. The only problem that we have is the system that we run. A system that allows fraud to flourish. But if you take the same Nigerian who is corrupt in our system to an environment with strict regulatory compliance and structures, you will discover that he will behave.”
Olukoyede assured that EFCC would continue to ply its job with unwavering determination and courage. “On our part in EFCC, we are resolute and not going to compromise. We have been called names and maligned but we are resolute. We are moving forward because somebody has to do this job and we will do it and deliver. I told the entire Nigerians upon my assumption of office that we are going to use the instrumentality of the anti-corruption fight to build the economy. We are going to use the instrumentality of our work to build the economy and to ensure good governance as well”, he said.
Ogbuku disclosed that visit was in appreciation of EFCC for the recoveries it has made on behalf of the NDDC, which he said has helped in developing the Delta region and in lifting the Commission. “We want as a management to thank the EFCC for supporting the NDDC to make the recoveries that have helped the region and the Commission. Mr Chairman, this is to let you know that the NDDC is investing the recoveries in projects and at a point, we will invite the EFCC to come join us in commissioning some of those projects. It will be a sign that the recoveries made by the EFCC are used to support the development of the Niger Delta.”
Furthermore, he disclosed that “Apart from saying thank you, we also came to let you know what the NDDC has been doing so far. We inherited the NDDC the way it has been. Many people had a very dark impression of the NDDC but we thought that we should look forward and not look backward and came up with the policy of rebirthing to rewind, because we just have to go back a little to see where we started and what we needed to do in future. We went back to our books, interacted with previous managements to know where things went wrong. One of the areas that we have to rebirth the NDDC was in the area of transparency,” he said.
He further sued for enhanced collaboration between NDDC and EFCC. “We believe that further collaboration with the EFCC in the area of technical support will further strengthen us as a Commission and guide us in our operations. I also want to use this opportunity to plead with Mr. Chairman that before our corporate governance performances and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) are passed, you should delegate some of your officers to look at the documents and probably make your input in areas where you think you can further contribute in strengthening us as an organization because they are something new to us. At least you can input on policies that will suit your operations with our operations, and support us in that area as part of our partnership. We also plead for further technical support in the area of training our finance staff in financial management because we realize that most of our staff have not been doing well in the area of managing their finances.”
In response to the requests, Olukoyede assured him of EFCC’s readiness for assistance and working relationship towards helping the NDDC achieve its mandate. “We have been working with you to do recoveries and all of that, we will continue to do more. The collaboration is something we need to take to the next level, and with what you have put on the table I think we are ready to work with you to strengthen your systems and processes and to take the NDDC to the next level”, he said.
