EFCC Boss charges NACIWA members on improved collaboration in fight against corruption
The Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and President, Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa, NACIWA, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has charged representatives of the fourteen member countries of NACIWA on improved international cooperation and collaboration as vital tools to curb corruption in the West African region.
He gave the charge in Niger State while speaking at a 5-day Regional Certification Training on Financial Investigation for Anti-Corruption Institutions in ECOWAS Member States
According to him, the threats being posed by corruption to NACIWA member nations are trans-national and to confront them, stronger synergy among the nations is imperative.
“As many of you are aware, the threats we face are not confined within national borders. They are sophisticated, tech-enabled, and deeply embedded within political and economic structures. To effectively confront these challenges, we must work together by sharing intelligence, harmonizing our methods and speaking in one voice as a region committed to integrity and justice”, he said.
The anti-graft agency boss who spoke through the Director, Administration and Human Resources of the EFCC, Femi Gbarufu explained that the training, a product of strategic collaboration among NACIWA, EFCC and ECOWAS Commission, was a reflection of the shared determination of member countries to go beyond rhetorics by investing in tangible capacity-building efforts to enhance the operational capabilities of the operators of the anti-graft institutions across West Africa.
In his remarks, the Acting Commandant, EFCC Academy, Assistant Commander of EFCC, Joseph Ogwiji, said “As the designated center of excellence for NACIWA, the EFCC Academy has designed a comprehensive and forward- thinking curriculum tailored to equip participants with strategic, preventive, investigative, legal and technological tools required to address emerging and evolving financial crimes”.
The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, applauded the leadership ability of Olukoyede, stressing that NACIWA is gaining strength through his visionary and exemplary efforts.
Musah who spoke through Ebenezer Asiedu, Head, Democracy and Good Governance Division, ECOWAS Commission, assured that the ECOWAS Commission, under the leadership President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the enviable height of regional integration and political development experienced over the years in West Africa is consolidated and remains a global reference point.
