Abigail ErhiagbojeThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, has ordered his staff to declare their assets.
He issued this order on Tuesday at the Corporate Headquarters of the Commission in Abuja while addressing the senior staff of the commission. According to him, the order is not only in line with the Civil Service regulations and procedures, but it is a bold move towards ensuring accountability and internal cleansing.
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Olukoyede had harped on the importance of members of the Commission living above board by setting a good example of having clean hands as anti-graft fighters.
“All of us are going to declare our assets; from level 17, downward. I did mine, so there’s no reason for anyone to be afraid to do same. Even the Commission Secretary did, you all may also have done it in the past, but there’s need for all of us to do it again.
“We will declare our assets, and we are going to investigate it. We must live above board by setting the pace with good examples. As anti-corruption fighters, our hands must be clean, so we must declare our assets,” he said.
Therefore, Olukoyede urged the staff of the Commission to pay premium attention to the importance of fighting economic and financial crimes, stating that such efforts should not only be used as a measure for the economic growth of the nation but should also be used to create the right environment for better investment and increasing the productivity of the economy.
According to him, “We must do our job to add values to the nation. Investors must have confidence in the economy and we must help the country to be governed in an accountable and transparent manner. By doing this, it will offer us a new direction to redeem the image of the nation.”
Furthermore, the EFCC boss encouraged the staff of the Commission to be professional, thorough in their engagements, rich in integrity and be non-partisan.
“Please, I beg you, let our hands be clean and put our house in order. Some may not like me, but I am going to do the right thing and treat everybody equally irrespective of religion, ethnicity and region”.
He promised the staff a better welfare package, improved training and equal opportunities to ensure efficiency in the delivery of their services. He also warned “those compromising their works and positon to desist from such conduct, as dire consequences await every unsavoury tendency”.
Olukoyede assured the staff of the commission that adhering to the rule of law would be an article of faith and defining principle of work.
According to him, “The EFCC is a creation of the law. We must do our job in line with the dictates of the law. This is a standard international practice and we would ensure that it is our established norm.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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