The Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, NISER, Professor Anthonia Taiye Simbine, has assured the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of the unwavering support of the institute in the fight against economic and financial crimes.
Simbine gave the assurance when she paid a courtesy visit to the Ibadan Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of EFCC, ACE I Hauwa Garba Ringim.
While congratulating Ringim on her recent appointment as the new Head of the Ibadan Office of the EFCC, the DG stated that: “NISER has been supportive of the EFCC’s mandate and I can assure the Director that NISER, under my leadership, will not stop extending hands of robust support to the essence of the EFCC.”
Simbine emphasised the need for a deliberate and consistent collaboration between the two organisations, where fundamental issues advancing the visions and mandates of both establishments are promoted.
She said: “As government agencies, we must establish a healthy working relationship with relevant stakeholders, which is one of the major reasons my entourage and I embarked on this visit.
“We are aware that the EFCC cannot fight corruption alone, so we are willing to contribute our quota to bringing corruption, especially cybercrime, to its knees in the Southwest and Nigeria at large,” the DG affirmed.
Simbine, further stated that the Social Policy Department of the institute was critically researching into how Nigerian youths can be fully engaged developmentally, an effort which she said has to begin with ethical reorientation of the youths across board.
She called for periodical training and re-training of professionals within the commission via the facilities of NISER given the fact that the institute is vested with the responsibility of conducting researches into social and economic problems of the country, for government at all levels, non-governmental organisations, private sector, and international and multinational organisations.
In her response, Ringim thanked Simbine for the visit and pledged her commitment to working with the DG to achieve success and effective economic growth in the country.
She said: “I sincerely thank you for coming around today. Truly, it was thoughtful of you, seeing the necessity of strengthening the ties between the EFCC and NISER, so that we can both achieve our mandates and succeed together.
“Our doors are open to constructive criticism as we both have no choice than to collaborate towards achieving the grand strategic plan of the Federal Government to make Nigeria a greater country,” Ringim stated.
