In Nigeria, critics claim that many who desire government position have their eyes on the money returns. This evil tendency leads them to the path of corruption where embezzlements happen.
That is why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is working to end the stealing of public funds. Now, it claims it has recovered ₦60 billion in less than 100 days.
Now, it may no longer be easy to steal public funds again as the EFCC has developed a mechanism that will end public funds stealing.
After recovering well over ₦60 billion in less than 100 days, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission observed that fighting corruption in Nigeria was a herculean task.
The Chairman of the anti-graft commission, Ola Olukoyede, said they plan to investigate over 3, 000 crime cases.
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Our Collective Responsibility
According to him, ”the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility of Nigerians to move the country forward and end corruption”.
And that is why, “when you see something, you say something”.
He said: “In less than four months, we secured 700 convictions, and recovered over ₦60 billion, over 10 million dollars”.
“If I can recover over ₦60 billion in less than 100 days, you can imagine how much has been stolen.
“I can tell you that for the billion that has been recovered, a trillion has been stolen”.
Olukoyede made this revelation at the 20th-anniversary lecture of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resources Centre, in Lagos on Saturday.
Over 5,000 Petitions In 4 Months
Furthermore, he revealed that the EFCC had received over 5, 000 petitions from different groups and Nigerians.
“The EFCC has created mechanisms to stop or minimise the stealing of public funds and other financial and economic crimes,” he said.
Olukoyede, however, reiterated his resolve to use the anti-corruption drive to stimulate the Nigerian economy.
He added: “When we set out to investigate. People see it as a fight between the EFCC and the rest of us. It should not be so. How much will the EFCC do?
“How much will ICPC do with its staff strength? I have less than 4,800 staff.
“I am talking of an agency that is serving people who are over 150 million.
“All we have to do is investigate and present the facts before the court. I will not be the one to give judgement.
“I am not just talking about the one we received, but the one that we have checked and discovered that there was substance in it.
“But what is our capacity, how many staff do we have? What resources do I have access to?
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Anti-corruption Fight Is Challenging
On his part, the Chairman of HEDA, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, noted that the anti-corruption fight had been challenging.
Suraju urged every Nigerian to contribute a quota from their respective spheres and domains.
He stressed that HEDA could not do the fight alone but could influence and facilitate the process for agencies like the EFCC, and ICPC, to do their jobs more effectively.
