Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has said corruption is worse than coronavirus and other deadly diseases.
Magu said this at the passing out parade of 281 cadets of the EFCC Detective Inspector Course-5, at the Nigerian Defence Academy, in Kaduna, on Tuesday.
He said corruption is an evil that if not tackled would consume the country.
He also said in line with its strategic plan, the EFCC has beamed its searchlight on advance fee fraudsters.
โYour Excellency, corruption is worse than cancer, Ebola-virus, Coronaโvirus and all other deadly diseases put together. Fighting corruption is thus a crusade against the evils of our society that are deeply-rooted and threatening to consume us,โ he said.โThe scourge of the activities of the Yahoo Boys and the consequent dent on our national image motivated EFCC to plan and execute the great push against their nefarious activities, with a determination to flush them out and redeem Nigeriaโs National Pride.โ
โIf we donโt kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeriaโ.
โAs it is often said, in our country, tackling corruption is a clarion call, given that corruption is a huge burden to the nation. It has spread its cancerous effects to all facets of our lives. Insecurity, poverty, unemployment, falling standards of education, weak access to affordable health care, failing infrastructure, questioned integrity of the electoral process, poor business environment and lower GDP growth to mention a few, are all linked to corruption.
โYour Excellency, corruption is worse than cancer, Ebola-virus, Coronaโvirus and all other deadly diseases put together.ย Fighting corruption is thus a crusade against the evils of our society that are deeply-rooted and threatening to consume us. We are aware that the task is not easy and the path can be very thorny and lonely, but with determination and a high sense of mission, we are making progress towards rooting out this evil from our society.ย We all appreciate you as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for embarking on this mission. Your Excellency, the fight against corruption is a fight that must be won to secure a better future for our generation and the generation yet unbornโ, he added.
He said โas part of the vigorous pursuit of the enforcement mandate through institutional strengthening, the Commission has created the following new specialized Directorates and Sections, taking into cognisance the changing face of criminality. These include: Assets Forfeiture and Recovery Management Directorate, forensic and Science Laboratory Directorate, Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Section, Foreign Exchange Malpractice Section, Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation Section, Cybercrime Section, Tax Fraud Section, Procurement Fraud Section and AMCON Desk
