The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, says the rising trouble of unemployment, insecurity, poverty, diseases, low life expectancy, hunger, robbery, kidnapping, and others are the results of mismanagement, misapplication, and misplacement of the nation’s resources by those entrusted with them.
Olukoyede spoke while addressing corps members of Batch A, Stream 1 at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Kusallah Dam in Karaye Local Government of Kano State on Thursday.
The EFCC boss, who spoke through the Head, Public Affairs Department, Kano Zonal Command, Idris Isiyaku noted that corruption was the root cause of all the challenges facing Nigeria.
“Every challenge around us today can be traced to the consequences of corruption. The rising troubles of unemployment, insecurity, poverty, diseases, low life expectancy, hunger, robbery, kidnapping, and others are the results of mismanagement, misapplication, and misplacement of our resources by those entrusted with them. We have come to a situation of dire straits in our individual and national lives, all because of the menace of corruption,’’ he said.
Olukoyede stressed that economic and financial crimes directly put the fortunes of the economy and polity of the nation in jeopardy.
He particularly stated that “criminality of such dimension puts foreign direct investment in uncertainty, slows down genuine efforts to build formidable structures in industries and greatly throws open the nation to avoidable complications”.
He, therefore, enjoined corps members and other Nigerians to have a development-focused perspective and “see corruption as an enemy to be destroyed. A new insight into the disservice which corruption represents should make youths like you willingly decide to be change agents, active foot soldiers against corruption, community advocates and strong resisting force against corruption, whistle-blowers or intelligence-gatherers”.