Stakeholders Urge Youths To Be Positive Force For Better Nigeria

Stakeholders have urged the Nigerian youths to shun all forms of corrupt practices, cybercrimes, vote buying and other financial crimes.

They gave the advice at an event held in Abuja, to commemorate the 2022 Anti-Corruption Day, organised by Al-habibiyyah Islamic Society. The theme of the event is titled: “Uniting the Youths Against corruption and Promoting Violent-Free Election.”

A representative from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr Abdukadir Salihu urged the Nigerian youths to effectively use their potential to better the country as the Commission is ready to lawfully deal with the violators of the law.

“This World Anti-Corruption Day comes at the right time being Nigerian Election is just a few months away the most important thing is to follow the procedures and make sure you vote for the right person and avoid vote buying because once you collect the money you lost the right to challenge such person when they engage in an act of corruption”.

’’If leaders are elected to hold office and entrusted into resources and end up with embezzling resources are meant for infrastructures, such as schools, health facilities and good roads it causes problems of National security, food security, and social security’’.

“Social security is what affects the youths because they mostly face problems of Cyber Crimes and Cyber related offences, if you go to our records within January and November this year, EFCC has had over three thousand convictions of various offences and a bulk of this come from the youths and this will affect the future of the youths as an ex-convict,” Mr Abdukadir Salihu, noted.

The Commissioner of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, Mr Hasan Salihu said, achieving a violent free election is contingent upon a corruption-free political election process which is a very important mandate of the Commission.

“Proceeds of corrupt practices or dirty money in politics are used to sponsor under age, vote buying, imposition, physical violence and intimidation, among other offences, these unwanted elements in the political process must be checked and addressed by the Commission to achieve desirable democratic governance in Nigeria”. Mr Hasan Salihu said,

A representative from the Human Right Commission, Mr Kabiru Aliyu, explained that the Nigerian Human Right Commission is collaborating with other related agencies in dealing with corrupt practices to ensure people’s fundamental human rights are adequately protected.

“The Commission is working with other Anti-Corruption Agencies to accentuate how corruption equally causes human right violation in Nigeria, for example when there are funds released to Ministries, Agencies and Departments to provide healthcare services when such funds are embezzled it denies such persons the right of healthcare services as enshrined in the 1999 constitution”. Mr Kabiru Aliyu explained

Moral values

One of the stakeholders of the corruption crusade, Madam Rafat Salami, urged the Nigerian Youths to inculcate moral values and have contentment in their minds.

One of the things we reiterate is we need to learn contentment and when we lack contentment we will be looking some other ways to follow whether it’s legal or unlawful. Madam Rafat Salami emphasised

A member of Al-habibiyyah Islamic Society, Ustaz Shariff said all hands must be on deck to effectively fight corruption in Nigeria and the World.

“Corruption is a pandemic that everybody has to fight against it, because when we are talking about corruption people think are the people in authority but is far beyond that, not knowing that the people that emerged as the authority are from the people in the society”. Ustaz Shariff

Olusola Akintonde