The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has charged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) across the country to take a deliberate stand against corruption in the interest of their future and the entire nation.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC boss gave the charge on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Abuja, while addressing Batch B, Stream One corps members at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Kubwa.
The anti-graft czar urged the corpers to refuse to be drawn into any compromise of integrity, while pointing out that economic and financial crimes directly put the fortunes of the economy and polity of Nigeria in jeopardy, and that criminality of such dimension puts foreign direct investment in uncertainty, slows down genuine efforts to build formidable structures in industries and greatly throws open the nation to avoidable complications.
The EFCC boss, who was represented by the Deputy Superintendent of EFCC (DSE) Abbas Abubakar Umar, stated that the scourge of internet fraud has become a pervasive trouble which Nigerian youths are getting embroiled in at the detriment of their future and Nigeria’s image.
“Youths are getting embroiled in all sorts of cybercrime to the detriment of their future and the image of our nation. This is one undesirable situation that calls for concern. For our economy to grow and compete favourably with strides being made in other advanced economies, the scourge of corruption must be frontally tackled,” he said.
He further charged the youths to see corruption as an enemy to be destroyed and have a new insight into the disservice which corruption represents by willingly becoming change agents, active foot soldiers against corruption, community advocates and strong resisting forces against corruption as well as whistle-blowers or intelligence-gatherers.
At the NYSC temporary orientation camp in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Olukoyede, represented by Chief Superintendent CSE Nana Fatima Abubakar of the Public Affairs Department, Kaduna Zonal Directorate, stressed that youths should look inward and challenge themselves by bringing up their God-given creative ideas, perspectives and drives that can help to drive the economy.
He equally enjoined them to start off by enlisting into the EFCC/NYSC CD group which will avail them the opportunity to work closely with the Commission’s advocacy arm where they serve as change agents by helping to mould kids in schools across the country.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Olukoyede spoke through DSE Olumide Egbodofo of the Public Affairs Department, Ibadan Zonal Directorate, at the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Iseyin, and warned corps members to steer away from internet crimes and embrace a lifestyle of industry, transparency and accountability.
He decried the degrading and degenerating norms and societal values among the youths by succumbing to shady and ostentatious lifestyle.
Olukoyede gave the same warning at the NYSC orientation camp in Issele Uku, Delta State, where, represented by Williams Oseghale, Head, Public Affairs Department, Benin Zonal Directorate, he expressed worry over how the lure for quick wealth has resulted in youths getting involved in cyber crimes and other forms of criminality.
He challenged them to be whistle-blowers in their various places of primary assignment and expose shady deals around them.
At the NYSC orientation camp in Keffi, Nasarawa State and speaking through Head, Public Affairs Directorate, Abuja Zonal Command, CSE Ngoundu Nguetar, Olukoyede reiterated the need for youths to be hardworking as, according to him, ‘there is no shortcut to wealth’.
He noted that there must be a paradigm shift and youths should see corruption as an enemy to be destroyed and not as a means to wealth. He encouraged them to say something when they see something and the EFCC will definitely do something.
In the same vein in Kwara State, the anti graft czar spoke through the Head, Public Affairs Department, Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Ayodele Babatunde, saying that many of the problems confronting the country such as kidnapping, banditry, poor infrastructure and others are connected to corruption.
He added that all hands must be on the deck to tame the cankerworm. While calling on the youths to channel their potential productively and shun crime, the EFCC Chair said that, “yahoo-yahoo is not a sustainable way of life. The fact that the rate of unemployment is high should not be an excuse to resort to crime. “Acts of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term but there will be misery and gnashing of teeth at the end”, he said.
Olukoyede spoke in other locations in Lagos, Maiduguri, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Makurdi cautioning youths against corrupt practices. He appreciated the collaboration between the Commission and the NYSC and looked forward to more engagements as this would help in creating a better future for our future generations.
