EFCC Chairman Mr. Ola Olukoyede (Right)
Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has called on corruption fighters across the
country to always strive to be ahead of fraudsters in intelligence, focus,
thinking and strategies in order to tackle the menace of economic and
financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
He gave the charge on Thursday, November 16, 2023 in
Abuja, while receiving representatives
of the The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption, RoLAC that paid him a courtesy
visit at the corporate headquarters of the EFCC, in Jabi, Abuja. Olukoyede
explained that fraudulent schemes and fraudsters across the world have become
dynamic, especially with the advances in technology and to tackle them,
corruption fighters must be more dynamic and resourceful. “ You must be ahead
of the corrupt in every way. The world has gone digital and dynamic. So,
corruption fighters should hone their
skills at all times and not rest on
their oars”, he said.
He commended RoLAC for its consistency and commitment to the
cause of fighting corruption, stressing that the EFCC would always collaborate
with it in entrenching transparency and sound justice delivery in the
anti-corruption corridor. Let’s work along the chain of justice delivery more
and more”, he said. He sued for more support for the Commission in the area of
capacity building.
Earlier in their presentations, Mr. Danladi Plang, RoLAC’s Head of Programme
and Dr. Emmanuel Uche, Programme Manager on Anti-Corruption, explained that the
European Union, EU, expressed satisfaction with all the
programmes RoLAC had with the EFCC,
promising that the EFCC’s priorities would be RoLAC’s priorities. They
also expressed their commitment to strengthening their collaboration with the EFCC in the
areas of capacity building, improved technology, research and training in the
fight against corruption.
According to Plang, the EU- funded projects through RoLAC are
in the second phase of implementation. The first phase ended successfully in
March 2023, with the EFCC as one of its core beneficiaries. The project earned
the EFCC development of E-achieve, Strategic Plan and support for capacity
building in investigation and prosecution.
“ Phase two of our program commenced in June this year, so we
are here to introduce ourselves and seek your support, as well as to get your priority areas where
you think we can be of help, because even the EU has recognized that our
partnership with you has yielded great impact.
So, this time we hope that we will enjoy more of that because we are
looking towards building the capacity of the Commission`s investigators,
prosecutors, including the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering,
SCUML, the Academy and of course your operatives ", he said.
Uche said that the EFCC’s role as the leading anti-graft agency in Nigeria is instructive, urging the Commission to sustain the role of
coordinating other agencies, especially emerging anti-corruption bodies in some
states in Nigeria in order to improve
the criminal justice system.
In her contributions,
Director, Department of
Planning,Policy, Research and Statistics,
Commander of the EFCC, CE Hadiza Gamawa
appreciated the contribution of RoLAC to the EFCC over the years,
stressing that the Commission needed more support to continue to deliver
optimal results in the fight against corruption.
Benedict Agweye , Director of Forensics and Laboratory added that the Commission has been
very active in providing support for other agencies especially in the area of
forensics.
