Non-compliance With Laws Bane Of Corruption — EFCC

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has linked the menace of corruption and poverty in the country to non-compliance with extant laws.

Olukoyede stated this on Thursday in Abuja when the officials of Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), led by the chairman, Victor Chinemerem Muruako, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on collaboration with the EFCC.

The EFCC boss noted in his remarks that it was important for him that the country moved forward, regretting, however, that the major obstacle was the general aversion for compliance with rules and regulations.

He stated that, “One of our major challenges is compliance with laws. If our institutions, our agencies and Nigerians are made to comply with our laws, even if at a rate of 70 to 80 per cent compliance with laws, Nigeria will not be where it is today because the resources are there.”

Speaking further, the EFCC chairman said; “I can tell you this by the work I do and what I see every day. I know this country is blessed. We don’t have any business with poverty, only because people don’t take laws seriously. We don’t take enforcement seriously. They don’t take compliance seriously. That’s why we are where we are.”

Olukoyede expressed joy at the increased window of collaboration the signing of the MoU will bring about in the working relationship between EFCC and FRC, especially in the area of joint investigation team, which he observed could draw FRC to the forefront of the anti-corruption fight, adding that: “We can set up a joint investigation team and both agencies will be at the forefront of the fight which is for me, very key.”

He further noted that a visible collaboration of the EFCC and FRC will send the signal across to the public that it’s no longer business as usual and pointed to the need to put the MoU into function.

According to him, “By signing this MOU we will be having access to your reports. If the two of us work together, we will be able to sanitize this system to a reasonable extent. It’s not just for us to sign an MoU, it’s important for us to operationalize it.”

In his remark, Muruako expressed delight and optimism with the MoU and praised Olukoyede and the EFCC for superlative performance in the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes.

“I commend you. I also commend your team for working hard. I’m very proud of your agency. I feel fulfilled that eventually this MoU is being signed today. And I want to assure you on behalf of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission that it will be a lot of encouragement to our commission. It will help us know that we are really working with you one-on-one. It is not just the FRC that would be enriched, this hydra-headed element called corruption would cut off,” he said.