The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has said “Nigerians are good people”, but the problem is that the country operates “a system that allows fraud to flourish.”
This is as Olukoyede stressed the need for public officeholders to uphold transparency and accountability in the conduct of affairs in the country.
Olukoyede, who spoke when a delegation of the NDDC management, led by its Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, paid him a courtesy visit at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja, said that he was impressed by the “Rewind to Rebirth” initiative of the Commission.
This was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday by the NDDC Corporate Affairs Director, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, sent to newsmen.
The statement quoted the EFCC chairman, saying, “The five minutes of interaction with the MD left me with a different perception of NDDC. I want to congratulate and also thank you for your readiness and commitment to bring change. Maybe, we will begin to see an NDDC that is a symbol of pride, accountability, transparency and able to deliver on its mandate.
“That is what the NDDC should stand for and I want to thank you for bringing that to the table. From his presentation, you can see that he is somebody who is ready to bring a change, and that is the exact thing that we stand for in EFCC.
“It is possible for us to build a system of accountability, transparency and integrity in Nigeria.”
Olukoyede used the occasion to urge all public officeholders to uphold probity, transparency and accountability in the management of the finances they hold in trust for the public knowing that a day of reckoning would come.
He said: “Always have it at the back of your mind that while you are on this side today, you might be on the other side tomorrow. Let it be the guiding principle for those in positions of trust in everything they do.
“That has always been my own guiding principle because you will not be there forever. You can protect certain things today, but if you leave, you will discover that the person closest to you, maybe someone who benefitted from you, would be the one to expose you.”
He also said, “Fundamentally, Nigerians are good people. The only problem that we have is the system that we operate; a system that allows fraud to flourish. But if you take the same Nigerian who is corrupt in our system to an environment with strict regulatory compliance and structures, you will discover that he will behave.”
The EFCC boss assured that the Commission would continue to do its job with determination and courage, noting: “We are not going to compromise. We have been called names and maligned but we are resolute. We are moving forward because somebody has to do this job and we will do it and deliver.
“I told Nigerians upon my assumption of office that we are going to use the instrumentality of the anti-corruption fight to build the economy and ensure good governance.”
Olukoyede assured that the EFCC would continue to assist the NDDC to achieve its mandate.
“We have been working with you to make recoveries, we will continue to do more.
“The collaboration is something we need to take to the next level, and with what you have put on the table I think we are ready to work with you to strengthen your systems and processes and to take the NDDC to the next level,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the NDDC Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ofbuku, explained that the visit to EFCC headquarters was in appreciation of the financial recoveries the Commission made on behalf of the NDDC, which he said had helped in developing the Niger Delta region.
He said: “We want, as a management, to thank the EFCC for supporting the NDDC to make the recoveries that have helped the region and the Commission. Mr Chairman, this is to let you know that the NDDC is investing the recoveries in projects.
“At a point, we will invite the EFCC to join us in commissioning some of those projects. It will be a sign that the recoveries made by the EFCC are used to support the development of the Niger Delta.”
Ogbuku said further: “Apart from thanking you, we also came to let you know what the NDDC has been doing so far. Many people had a very dark impression of the NDDC but we thought that we should look forward and not backward.
“So, we came up with the policy of rewind to rebirth, because we just have to go back a little to see where we started and what we needed to do in future. We went back to our books and interacted with previous management to know where things went wrong. One of the areas that we have to rebirth the NDDC was in the area of transparency.”
He sued for enhanced collaboration between NDDC and EFCC, observing: “We believe that further collaboration with the EFCC in the area of technical support will further strengthen us as a Commission and guide us in our operations. I also want to use this opportunity to plead with Mr Chairman that before our corporate governance performances and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) are passed, you should delegate some of your officers to look at the documents and probably make your input in areas where you think you can further contribute in strengthening us as an organisation.”
He also pleaded for further technical support in the area of training finance staff of the NDDC in financial management.