Nigeria can be free from corruption, says EFCC Chairman
By Innocent Raphael
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has urged Nigerians to change certain entrenched practices and perspectives in vogue in Nigeria.
Olukoyede emphasized that citizens of the country possessed inherent integrity and could thrive in honesty with beneficial systemic reforms.
He disclosed this in Abuja while receiving a delegation of senior officials of Katsina State Government, led by the governor, Dikko Umaru Radda who paid him a courtesy visit at the corporate headquarters of the anti-graft agency.
Olukoyede alleged that corruption was feeding off some defective systems in the country and progress could only be made when such systems are corrected.
“Nigerians are not different from other people in the world. Nothing is wrong with us as Nigerians. We are not patently corrupt. The problem we have is the system we run.
If we can deal with our systems, put the right thing in place, you will discover that Nigerians are very amenable. You will see people change,” he said.
Adding that none of the cultures, customs and faiths practiced by Nigerians was in support of corruption, he alleged that over the years, Nigerians had institutionalised certain systems to make the country vulnerable to accepting corrupt practices as a way of life.
While he lauded Governor Radda for his efforts for the implementation of accountability measures such as the Fiscal Responsibility Commission ( FRC), and Treasury Single Account TSA, in his state, the EFCC boss pledged the support of the agency to drive transparency, financial discipline and accountability in Katsina.
Earlier in his remarks, Radda had disclosed that the visit was driven by his desire to partner with the EFCC in the fight against corruption in his state and to seek the capacity building of his state’s financial managers, identifying loopholes in the financial dealings of the state and measures to curb them.
“The main purpose of my visit is to extend our desire to partner with the Commission in the fight against corruption. We are a new government and we have a lot to learn as we navigate our administrative responsibilities.
” I would want our commissioners, accounting officers, procurement officers and those saddled with budget implementation to take advantage of your Academy and acquire the knowledge to do the right thing in their roles.
“We must put our heads together to fight corruption in order to manage our meagre resources. In the face of economic hardship, we must not allow corruption to thrive” he stated in part.
In the company of the Governor were top officials of Katsina state government, including the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Fadila Muhammed Dikko, Chairman, Katsina State Anti-Corruption Commission, Lawal Garba Abdulkadir, among others.
