The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has urged Nigerian youth to team up with the commission in the fight against corruption.
He made the statement at a town hall meeting marking the 2024 International Anti-Corruption Day in Sokoto State on Thursday.
The chairman, who was accompanied by Nnwanneka Nwokike, the commission’s zonal director, said that corruption affects people of all ages but particularly targets the opportunities and potential of young people, “which makes it more binding on young people to tackle it more fiercely than any other age group.”
“Youths’ chances for self-actualization are restricted and tainted by the evil of graft. In societies where nepotism, favouritism, partisanship, and other unrelated factors skew opportunities in favour of a select few, it is hard for every young person to have an equal opportunity for self-expression.
The EFCC chairman went on to say that corruption causes young people to be more susceptible to fraudulent activities and that the temptation of easy money pulls young people into a criminal maze.
“Youth must work together to create innovative innovations. This cannot be accomplished in a corrupt setting.
To oppose shady tactics at all governmental levels, they also require a unified voice. They must band together to act as active forces and watchdogs against corruption in all its manifestations. For them, no other age will suffice.
However, he offered a path for young people to find unity in the fight against corruption, including intentional cooperation against corruption, lending voices and forces to anti-corruption agencies’ efforts, exposing actions and tendencies that are contrary to accountability and moral principles in the community, and deciding against corruption. He also promised whistleblowers that their identities would be adequately protected and disclosed that the zonal office had opened a complaint box where the public could submit their grievances in the form of a petition to the commission.
The state’s Civil Society Organisation chairman, Comrade Bello Shehu, praised the agency for consistently working with the state’s CSO in his remarks.
According to him, the state’s Zonal office’s creation has greatly aided in ridding several sectors of the state of corrupt activities.
In addition to stating that the state’s CSO is prepared to collaborate with the agency in the fight against corruption, he urges the zonal director to arrange an orientation with the CSO, particularly in light of the state’s recent local government autonomy.
Shehu Shagari College of Education’s Integrity Club, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto’s Zero Tolerance Club, and corporate members are among those who attended the town hall gathering.
