BEVERLY HILLS, September 21, (THEWILL) – Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has stated that never again will there be sacred cows in the country as the agency ramps up its crusade against corruption.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement issued on Thursday, that Magu stated this at the 20th anniversary public lecture and award ceremony of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria, FICAN, in Abuja.
Magu, in a paper presented on his behalf by the acting head of EFCC public interface unit, Tony Orilade, identified corruption as the main reason why Nigeria has been unable to fully reach its potential as the giant of Africa. The paper has ‘Corruption and National Development: Issues, Challenges and Solutions’ as title.
The acting chairman was reported as saying, “We are winning the war against corruption, because the age of impunity is over, and never again would anyone be treated as sacred cow.
“We are blessed with both human and mineral resources. But why have we been unable to explore and exploit our potentials to the fullest? Your answer is as good as mine – corruption.
“Anywhere in the world where strict adherence to ethics and values by the citizenry is lacking, there will always be obvious deficit in morals, which is the antidote to corruption.
“As far as we are striving to fight corruption to a standstill in Nigeria, sadly, it is fighting back, really hard.”
He stated that corruption was not only fighting back on the pages of newspapers, but also on operatives of the agency, disclosing that two of such occurred on August 16 in Abuja, and June 24 in Port Harcourt, where a top investigator was shot but escaped death by the whiskers.
Uwujaren quoted Magu further: “This is why I am using this platform and opportunity to call on you all, members of the fourth estate of the realm, to support the fight against corruption.
He added “that the agency remained unrelenting in ensuring that we rigorously pursue our mandate of ridding Nigeria of all forms of economic and financial crimes.”
