Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to initiate robust grassroots anti-corruption campaigns.
In a statement released by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale on Saturday in Abuja, Olukoyede made this plea during an interaction between the EFCC and CSOs in Akwa-Ibom, Abia, and Cross River.
Olukoyede emphasized that the fight against corruption requires the support of all national stakeholders, including the general public.
He urged CSOs not to leave the fight against corruption solely to the EFCC and encouraged them to support the work of CSOs in educating the public, especially those at the grassroots. Olukoyede stressed the need for collective sacrifice in the anti-corruption effort.
“We at the EFCC want to ensure that things are working. We must all put our hands on deck to enable us to win this fight,” he stated.
Represented by Bawa Saidu, the Commission’s Uyo Zonal Commander, Olukoyede urged participants who are closer to the grassroots to disseminate information about anti-corruption efforts.
Additionally, Olukoyede called on CSOs to provide the EFCC with relevant intelligence to uncover unethical behavior in society, emphasizing the importance of such assistance since the success of the EFCC benefits all Nigerians.
During the engagement, Tony Orilade, Head of the Commission’s Public Interface Unit, provided various methods for the public to reach out to the Commission, including contacting the Commission’s website. Orilade emphasized that the public could contact the commission at any time.
Aisha Mohammed, ASE II, spoke about the expected contributions from CSOs to the Commission, stating that the goal of the engagement was to gather additional ideas on how to combat corruption.
“We need you to be our eyes, our ears. We are here to brainstorm on how we can improve on our preventive mandate; we don’t know it all. CSOs are the major stakeholders we have, and we will always consult and collaborate in the overall interest of the nation,” she said.