Antigraft campaign: EFCC seeks media support

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the media to support the war against corruption for the development of the country.

The Zonal Commander of EFCC for Kogi, Kwara and Ekiti States, Mr Usman Muktar, made the call on Thursday during a “Media Interactive Session” with journalists in Ilorin.

Muktar has the media as a crucial partner in preventing corruption, economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.

He said the task of fighting economic and financial crimes was painstaking, broad-based and should be embraced by all strata of the society.

The EFCC boss urged the media to serve as channel of communication and enlightenment.

He said the commission depended greatly on the media to achieve success in its anti-graft campaign.

“The media’s potential to inform and educate the people is crucial for us and we believe that on our own, we cannot win the war against corruption without the support of the people.

“We need the media to help sensitise the people on the ills of corruption and economic crimes,” he said.

Muktar said the commission’s success and ability to achieve its mandate must involve the contribution of the media.

He therefore called on media practitioners to help change the old fashion of celebrating morally bankrupt individuals and known fraudsters.

The EFCC boss warned fraudsters to desist from engaging in acts of corruption and steer clear of the three states under his command.

Mr Abdullateef Ahmed, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara Council, commended the efforts of the EFCC and enjoined the commission to heighten its advocacy and sensitisation programme.

The NUJ chairman suggested that the programme should be in local dialects for quick understanding and to change the minds of the youths from engaging in any act of criminality.

Alhaji Mohammed Akanbi, a veteran journalist from the Voice of Nigeria (VON), urged the commission to collaborate with network providers to get information about the evil doers.

Akanbi said that most of the methods used by Yahoo boys to defraud their victims involved phone conversation which, he said, could be tracked and culprits charged to court.

Alhaji Abdulrasaq Adebayo of Daily Post also decried youths involvement in corruption, describing it as “the major problem holding back the development of the country”.

He pledged the support of the media to the EFCC in its bid to stamp out corruption in the society.