Forensics critical to projected $1 trillion economy, says CIFCFIN

Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) has said that the Federal Government’s drive for a $1 trillion economy in 2026 is achievable, stressing that forensics can catalyse the process.

Speaking at the weekend during the institute’s first Professional Forensic Practitioners’ Graduation at the EFCC Academy in Abuja, the CIFCFIN President and Chairman in-Council, Dr Iliyasu Gashinbaki, said there was a clear link between forensics and national economic aspirations.

“By applying forensic techniques in law enforcement, revenue management, election integrity and other key sectors of the economy, we can build a more robust and resilient Nigeria.”

According to him, forensic audits and investigations are powerful tools for ensuring transparency and accountability in revenue generation. He said the public and private sectors could benefit immensely from forensic audits and investigations, leading to the recovery of lost funds.

The CIFCFIN president called on all stakeholders, government officials, private sector leaders and the civil society to embrace forensic and fraud investigation tools and work together to create a transparent, accountable, and just society.

“Together, we can build the Nigeria we envision, a nation where justice, integrity, and prosperity go hand in hand,” he said. Also speaking on the role of forensics in attaining the goals of the present administration, the former Accountant-General of the Federation, James Kayode Naiyeju, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure his government would make the best use of forensic practitioners and fraud investigators to achieve better result in combating corruption, frauds and illicit financial flows in the country.

Naiyeju, a former president, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) was one of the 50 high-profile participants at the intensive training by CIFCFIN at the EFCC Academy, Abuja for certification as professional forensic and fraud investigation practitioners.

Explaining the rationale for the training, the Chairperson of the Professional Practice Committee, Shiva Rae M’ovul Kondoun, said it would set the tone for the future of forensics and fraud investigation in Nigeria. “The First Professional Practice Certification Training is a milestone that would reflect not only the collective responsibility and commitment to excellence in the fight against financial crimes, but finding the truth through scientific and principled systematic evidence gathering as well as reporting the truth that would lead either to the apprehension of a crime perpetrator or to the discharge of a wrongly accused suspect,” Kondoun said.

Kondoun emphasised that the training was designed to connect to an era where financial crimes were increasingly becoming more sophisticated and globalised, that the skills of forensic and fraud investigators had to be up-scaled to ensure that investigations are carried out thoroughly in order to apprehend the culprits.