Nigeria Facing Adverse Effects of Corruption, Says EFCC

• Auditor General: Only fight against graft will make Nigeria succeed
Paul Obi in Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday said Nigeria is now facing torrents of adverse effects of corruption following a prolonged era of naked display of corruption which still pervades the society till date.

Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, statedthis during an anti-corruption walk staged across the country to mark the 2017 International Anti-Corruption Day celebration.
Staff of the EFCC staged anti-corruption walk across the country with calls on the people to take ownership of the fight against corruption for a better Nigeria.

Led by Ibrahim Magu, the walk which took-off from the EFCC Head Office, Wuse 2, Abuja en route Unity Fountain to Area 11 junction, has as its theme, “United Against Corruption for Development Peace and Security.”

Participants who moved amidst singing and dancing, carried banners and placards saying, ‘Say No To Corruption’; ‘Corruption Kills’; ‘Corruption, Our Greatest Enemy’; ‘Kill Corruption Now’; ‘Do not be silent, blow the whistle to fight corruption’ and ‘Let us make Nigeria Great Again’.
They also had Red Cards boldly inscribed on their ‘T Shirts”, to symbolically send corruption out of Nigeria.

The walk featured stakeholders from diverse sectors and agencies including the  Public Compliant Commission, Nigeria Police, Independence Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); organised labour, Ministry of Justice, staff of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, youth organisations, civil society organisations and African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRIML).

Speaking, Magu lamented that Nigerians had for long borne the pangs of corruption, adding that corruption had allowed diversion and conversion of public funds into private pockets and accounts adding that “it is high high time Nigerians are united against corruption for sustainable development, peace and security.
“Our country has witnessed a torrent of the adverse effects of corruption and we need to kill the monster of corruption before it kills our country,” he said.

The anti-graft czar promised never to give up in making sure that corruption was completely eradicated in Nigeria stressing that, “the days of impunity are gone.”
Also speaking, the Auditor-General of the Federation, Anthony Mkpe Ayine, who participated in the walk, urged Nigerians to own the fight against corruption because it had led to the decay of various sectors of the nation’s economy.

“We cannot underscore the effects of corruption hence we need to join hands and fight the malaise.
“I personally support this fight against corruption and it is when we are united in the fight against corruption that we will succeed,” Ayine stated.