EFCC vows to prosecute corrupt public officers who enrich their pockets

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vowed to prosecute corrupt public officers who enrich themselves.

The EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, made this declaration at the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop on Anti-corruption, Fiscal Responsibility, Transparency and Good Governance organised by the EFCC and the House Committee on Financial Crimes for state and local government officials at the EFCC Academy in Karu, Abuja.

“The EFCC under my leadership will have no sympathy for public officers who breach the rules to enrich themselves or their cronies,” said Olukoyede.

According to him, 70 per cent of the problem in the Nigerian public sector stems from poor fiscal transparency.

Olukoyede also lamented the diversion and looting of public funds meant for the country’s stressing infrastructural, social and economic needs by public officers, leaving Nigerians to beat the brunt of underfunded sectors and poor infrastructure.

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“In every budget cycle, trillions of naira are appropriated to cater for the nation’s pressing infrastructural, social and economic needs.

“Instead, we have had the terrible misfortune of rules being circumvented and funds diverted or outrightly stolen through various sharp practices in the procurement value chain, while the rest of us suffer the consequence of the indiscretion of a few corrupt public officers,” the EFCC chairman added.

While addressing the audience at the workshop, the Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Crimes, Honourable Ginger Onwusibe, represented by the committee’s clerk, Austin Adesoro, emphasised the need for public officers to demonstrate integrity and eschew corruption.

“Public office demands a lot of sacrifices, not for pleasure. Nigeria needs accountable institutions to deliver on her mandate. The integrity of leaders is vital and corrupt officers must be sanctioned for corrupt practices. That’s why we need collaboration at all levels,” said Onwusibe.