Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on Thursday, reiterated the determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to free Nigeria from the grips of corruption.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, office complex, Fagbemi stated that the EFCC was pivotal to the actualization of the dream.
“The EFCC is pivotal in the Tinubu administration’s plan to remove impediments to accountability in governance institutions and strengthen mechanisms and platforms by which Nigerians can hold public officers to account”, he said.
Fagbemi described corruption as a malaise that had been undermining government reform efforts at all levels, noting that it was increasingly disruptive to our family, economic and social life.
“Economic and financial crimes have negative impact on developmental programs and policy of government at all levels and ultimately fuel insecurity and erode gains arising from reforms in the core sectors of our economy”, he added.
The minister called on the constituent states of the Federation, as well as the legislative and judicial arms of government, to key into the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes in Nigeria, adding that one of the lessons learnt from the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, 2017-2022, is the need to ensure that the strategy was also adopted and driven at subnational level.
He said, “It is for this reason that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accorded high priority to the fight against corruption, economic and other financial crimes through his key policy document: ‘Renewed Hope 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria’.
He further stated that the recovery and repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen wealth was an issue of great concern to the administration stressing that, “the EFCC is expected to continue to lead the charge to trace, recover and facilitate the return of our stolen wealth.”
In his welcome address, the Chairman EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, charged officers of the Commission to be unsparing in their efforts to sanitise the business environment and support the country’s drive to attract Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, warning that there would be no excuses for non-performance.
In his goodwill message, Kwara State governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who is also Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, noted that the fight against corruption “is a national campaign that we must all support, especially at institutional levels.”
