Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, says Nigerians condemn corruption yet rally behind corrupt leaders when they are being prosecuted.
Olukoyede stated said while receiving officials of the Centre for Crisis Communication, CCC, on Friday in Abuja.
He said if every citizen sees corruption as a common enemy, underdevelopment would be a thing of the past.
“Everybody is crying that Nigerians are corrupt, that the system is corrupt; that corruption is killing us and destroying our system,” he said.
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The anti-graft agency boss said collaboration and synergy with the CCC will foster strategic communication and public engagement, adding that public support is crucial to the EFCC’s success.
According to him, the EFCC will partner to raise public awareness on its activities and the importance of integrity among Nigerians.
“When we investigate high profile cases and arraign people in court, the same people will carry placards and be supporting corrupt leaders. It doesn’t show that we are serious about this fight. The fight is supposed to be a collaborative effort.
“No single agency can do it alone. It is practically impossible for us as EFCC to fight all the battles. The society has a role to play; policy has a role to play and the issue of welfare of the citizens has a role to play,” he added.
The EFCC boss also spoke on the trajectory of his leadership, saying he has prioritised prevention over enforcement since coming on board.
Besides prevention, Olukoyede identified the leveraging of intelligence gathering in the work of the Commission as being instrumental to some of the recent mind-blowing successes of the Commission.
