The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, on Thursday called on members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to take ownership of the war against economic and financial crimes, in order to save the nation.
Bawa’s charge was contained in a sensitisation lecture delivered on his behalf by Ayodele Babatunde, Head, Public Affairs Department of the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Commission, for Batch B Stream II corps members at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.
According to him, only public ownership of the anti- graft war can drive the requisite commitment to tackle the menace of corruption.
“As young Nigerians, the EFCC expects you to align yourselves with the anti- corruption war by being change agents, good campaigners against corruption and by publicly owning the crusade. It is only public ownership of the war against corruption that will deepen your commitments to the anti- graft war”
The anti-graft czar enjoined the corps members to impact their places of Primary Assignments positively through zero tolerance for corruption. “Your integrity and transparency will endear you to other Nigerians. You must reject corruption in words and deeds”, he said.
At the NYSC Orientation Camp, Abaya, Kabba, Kogi State, the EFCC Chair who was represented by a media officer from Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC, Gbenga Adewoye, tasked corps members on whistle- blowing, stressing that they must not cover up any suspicious cases of corruption in their immediate environments.
“Every good Nigerian must be a whistle- blower. I charge you to always expose compromises and corrupt tendencies in your immediate environments. When you see something, you must say something and the EFCC will surely do something”.
He also urged Nigerian youths to embrace hard work and shun all forms of criminal tendencies.
Same was the tone of Bawa’s message to youth corps members at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Ise-Orun, Ekiti State as he urged the youths to serve as role models by shunning all acts of corruption and economic crimes.
“The fact that the rate of unemployment is high should not be an excuse to resort to crimes. Acts of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term, but ultimately there will be misery and gnashing of teeth”, said the EFCC boss.
Bawa, who expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the NYSC for the support the Commission had enjoyed from the corps members over the years, also sought the strengthening of the existing collaboration between the NYSC and the EFCC in the fight against corruption and economic and financial crimes.
Emmanuel Ukoh
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