EFCC Chair, Ola Olukoyede has stated that Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts, which focus mainly on “enforcement,” will not be successful. He cautioned that prosecuting and imprisoning corrupt individuals could actually worsen the situation.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is often ranked as one of the most corrupt nations globally.
During a meeting with the management team of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), led by Director-General Lanre Issa Onilu, at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Wednesday, Mr. Olukoyede emphasized that under his leadership, the anti-corruption agency is prioritizing the prevention of financial crimes, noting that enforcement has not been effective over the past 20 years.
“Upon my assumption of office, I made it known to Nigerians that one of the key areas that we will pursue seriously and vigorously is the area of prevention. Everything in the anti-corruption fight is not about enforcement.
“There are policy issues that are involved. It is not all about throwing bombs and chasing people with armoured vehicles and machine guns. No, it has never worked, and it will never work. We have been on the path of enforcement for 20 years now. Would anyone tell me that corruption is abating?” Mr Olukoyede said.
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The EFCC boss added, “The more you do, the more progress you make in the area of recovery, in the area of prosecution and conviction of people, the deeper the problem becomes. As you are facing one, people are inventing new areas and getting smarter by the day.
“And so, we have come to realise that there is actually nothing fundamentally wrong with our people, but that our values have been bastardised over the years and also the system that we run, so I made it known to Nigerians and the entire world that we will pursue the issue of prevention very seriously.”
To achieve this goal, Mr. Olukoyede explained that he has started intensifying anti-corruption awareness campaigns and building institutional structures. He noted that with a focus on prevention, the EFCC will no longer wait for money to be stolen before taking action.
The EFCC has gained a controversial reputation for raiding nightclubs and hotels, where they often harass guests during operations targeting internet fraudsters, commonly known as Yahoo boys.
Additionally, the EFCC has, on several occasions, conducted raids on bureaux de change across the country in an effort to curb the decline of the naira in the international market.
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