The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, has reminded Nigerian youths of their role as critical stakeholders in the fight against corruption.
The chairman, who was represented by Head, Public Affairs Department, Ilorin Zonal Office of the EFCC, Ayodele Babatunde, made the call at the Kwara State National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area on Wednesday. He noted that “corruption is the reason our country is still touted as a potentially great nation despite its rich natural and human resources endowment”.
In his keynote address entitled, “EFCC and the Role of Youths in Curbing Cybercrime”, Bawa urged the youths not to be mere spectators in the anti-graft campaign, but foot soldiers of the fight by becoming change agents and help mould the minds of the younger ones in schools so that the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes can be far reaching.
“Apart from the fact that they (youths) are considered as the leaders of tomorrow, most economic crimes, especially cyber crimes are committed by young people. It therefore follows that young people must not be mere spectators in the anti-graft campaign. Rather, they should actually be the foot soldiers leading the mass rout of corruption and economic crimes out of our land”, he said.
According to him, “in the past, young people were idealistic, even puritanical in their reasoning and the positions they took on such issues as corruption. But that seems to be changing, as a number of young persons who found themselves in positions of authority have not shown that the youth are themselves immune from corruption. Some of them have surpassed the older generation in the manipulation of the system to feather their own nests”.
Bawa lamented the rate at which youths get involved in cybercrime and other forms of corruption and said “it is painful when our operatives arrests as much as 50 ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ boys in a single raid.”
“Acts of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term but ultimately, they lead to misery”, he added.
The EFCC boss thereafter called on the Corps members to be change agents in their various places of primary assignment by lending support to the fight against corruption.
“Add your voice to mine because the fight against economic and financial crimes involves you and I; while I play my part, you will play yours”, he concluded..
He thanked the leadership of the NYSC for the support the Commission had enjoyed from the corps over the years and looked forward to many years of cooperation in the service of our father land.
Nneka Ukachukwu
