Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asserted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) occupies a central position in both the country’s economic report and its national security.
The president made the assertion on Tuesday while inaugurating the zonal office of the FCC at Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State where he commended the anti-graft agency for successes recorded in the fight against corruption
Tinubu was represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who inaugurated the state-of-the-art EFCC zonal office covering Ondo and Ekiti states.
The president, “the EFCC’s recent prosecution of several high-profile corruption cases, including the conviction of a former minister and a former managing director of a national investment bank, sends a clear message that there are no hiding places for the corrupt”.
He said, “EFCC’s contributions to tackling cyber-terrorism are evident in the dismantling of a foreign-controlled cryptocurrency syndicate in Lagos, resulting in the conviction of 192 foreigners in a single operation.
“Its successes in forcing fraudulent Ponzi schemes and securing Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list have further strengthened our economic reforms and improved the investment outlook.
“Through aggressive asset tracing and recovery, the Commission has made resources available for critical social investment programmes such as the Students’ Loan Scheme Network and Credit Corp,” Tinubu said.
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, said the state government provided the land for the EFCC zonal office as part of a demonstration of its commitment to good government, intergovernmental cooperation, transparency and support to the commendable job of the commission.
He stressed that the gesture was to also complement the fight against corruption crusade of “our dear president.”
Oyebanji said, “there is no doubt that this office will enhance the administrative capacity of the Commission” and make access to the commission easy for victims of financial crimes who had been discouraged by repeated trips to far distances to pursue justice.
The governor said that “apart from the office accommodations, we also provided a 220kva standby generator to ensure a constant power supply.
“It must be emphasised that the Ekiti State government has always extended other forms of assistance to other similar federal agencies in this state.”
EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who appreciated president Tinubu for identifying with the project, said, “your presence today is a testament to the unbroken resolve to strengthen the EFCC’s hand in the war against corruption”.
Olukoyede, who said that EFCC was significantly energised to continue its work in an atmosphere of professionalism and total compliance with the rule of law, also expressed gratitude to the Ekiti State government for making the site available and supporting the project from conception to conclusion.
