EFCC, YIAGA Africa Partner on Anti-Corruption Fight

EFCC, YIAGA Africa Partner on Anti-Corruption Fight

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has stated that for the war against corruption to be won, Nigerians everywhere must critically self-assess themselves to ascertain if they have been part of the solution or problems recorded in the war.

Magu spoke through Usman Imam, Head, EFCC’s South-East Zonal Office in Enugu while receiving Tracy Keshi, Project Officer of Strengthening Citizen’s Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption, SCRAP-C, a component of ‘Upright Campaign’ by Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement, YIAGA Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization.

He said: “People cannot ordinarily expect things to change, when on their own and at their own levels, they fail to take positive actions that promote integrity and accountability.

“The fight against corruption must start with that market woman who refuses to alter the measuring cup to make more gains.

“It must start from that conductor that must not add more money to the fare when there is no increase in petrol price and from that petrol attendant who must resist the temptation of fiddling with the meter to make extra gain,” he added.

He gave assurances that the EFCC was willing to partner with any “serious” Civil Society Organization, CSO, to ensure the eradication of corruption in the country.

Speaking earlier, the YIAGA Africa representative, Keshi, said the visit was in recognition of the role of the EFCC in the fight against corruption, and to solicit for partnership in the actualization of the SCRAP-C programme.

“We are here to see how we can complement the successful efforts of the EFCC being the foremost anti-corruption agency in the country in ensuring that this menace called corruption is reduced to the barest minimum,” Keshi said.

Further shedding light on the ‘Upright Campaign’, Keshi stressed that the goal was to use the “bottom-top” approach to the fight against corruption, by instilling in the common man virtues of transparency, hard work, and sincerity which in turn will promote attitudinal change among the citizenry.