Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has urged students to go beyond complaining and embrace the fight against economic and financial crimes in the country.
Bawa who gave the charge through the Head, Media and Publicity Unit of the Commission, Wilson Uwujaren, when law students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, visited the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja, further advised the student to rise against cyber criminality.
“I want to charge you people to go beyond complaining and take up the challenge of supporting the fight against economic and financial crimes in the country. What we have witnessed recently is that we have a number of youth involved in cybercrime. I don’t think that is the direction that we should go as a nation. All of us have a common objective to rise against cyber criminality especially among young people and fight it to a standstill.”
He also urged them to take the anti-corruption message of the EFCC to their various destinations and serve as role models. “I believe that some of you who are here today will see yourself as a role model and show examples wherever you find yourself. Take on the message that you will receive this morning back to your faculty and other faculties in ABU and everywhere you find yourself,” he added.
Speaking on the role of lawyers in the fight against corruption, Head Freedom of Information Unit of the Commission, Johnson Ojogbane observed that the state of Nigeria today is a consequence of economic and financial crimes. “The sorry state has to do with economic and financial crimes, corruption generally. We can see the consequences of corruption, economic crimes and financial crimes.”
Ojogbane told the students that as prospective lawyers, they have a crucial role to play in the nation’s fight against corruption whether as advocates, state counsel, or development practitioners.
He, however, reminded them that, in whatever roles they find themselves, their effectiveness or otherwise will be determined by three core values: integrity, courage and professionalism.
“For a lawyer to play his role, he must consider the virtue of integrity, courage and professionalism. Tell yourself that you too have a role to play, by telling the people about the ills of corruption.”
He expressed optimism that the students will join the EFCC in its fight against economic and financial crimes. “I am hopeful that people like you from across the various universities, when you do come out, will join this fight. A nation cannot grow if everybody wants to do what they like, if everybody is in a hurry to get money, get rich quick syndrome, people want to drive flashy cars, they want to live in big beautiful houses.”
Interacting with the law students, Alvan Gurumma, an operative of the Commission told them that the activities of the Operations Department is guided by the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA 2015. “In everything we do, from the point of arrest is guided by the law”, he stated.
Yakubu Muhammed, Chairman of the Students Council of Partners, thanked the Commission for the interaction and promised to take what they have learned back to school. “It is indeed a rare privilege for us to be here; it was engaging, entertaining and educating. We are going to extend what we have learned to our colleagues at the Faculty of Law and the university community at large”, he said.
Packaged by Emmanuel Okafor
