THE Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has stated that there would be no hiding place for corrupt persons in Nigeria, in view of President Bola Tinubu’s political will to frontally tackle economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country.
Olukoyede enthused that Tinubu is offering the right atmosphere for anti-graft activities, both for the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and no Nigerian is immune to investigations for any corruption allegation.
“We believe that with the kind of President we have, who is ready and willing to do the right thing, and from what we have seen in recent times and in the last 48 hours, it is clear that he has provided the political will and leadership and created the atmosphere for us to work.
“So there is no hiding place for the corrupt. We must give our best, we must be committed and give the President the right support he needs. Nobody is too big to be investigated in this country. Once you are not playing according to the rules, we will investigate you.”
Speaking in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) at the Commission’s corporate headquarters, the EFCC boss explained that the engagement with the ICPC would send the right signals to the entire country that the anti-corruption agencies are coming together and extending hands of comradeship and fellowship with a mind to work together.
He recalled that there was a subsisting Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both agencies, adding: “It is going to be a living document that we can review from time to time to accommodate mutual interest.”
He noted that the enormity of cases being handled by both agencies justified their independent existence, saying: “Even with five anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, we hardly can do more than scratch the surface.
“One anti-corruption agency in the United States (US) has a staff strength of about 35,000. I am not sure the staff strength of the EFCC and the ICPC put together will be up to 7,000.
“Though people have been talking of duplication of responsibilities between the EFCC and ICPC, I don’t see it from that perspective; I see it from the perspective of the enormity of the work on our hands. When you are limited by staff strength and resources and there is still so much to be done, it becomes important to work together and see if we can move the country forward.”
In his remarks, Aliyu stressed the need for understanding and synergy between both agencies, noting: “It is very important for us to work together; and we cannot work together without having a good relationship. That’s why I decided to extend hands of friendship to the EFCC, so that we can see how we can work closely in helping this country to fight corruption. I am aware that there is an MoU between the ICPC and the EFCC.
“ICPC is very much ready to collaborate and partner with the EFCC. We thank God that there is a good working relationship and I hope that we are going to sustain this relationship.
“I also hope we will be meeting on a regular basis to review what we are doing together to see how we can strengthen our relationship.”
