The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II has described the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as the hope for the downtrodden in the Nigerian public and private sectors.
He made the remarks on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, when a team of EFCC officials paid him a courtesy visit in his Ile Oduduwa palace in Ile Ife, Osun State.
Oba Ogunwusi, who applauded the Commission in its efforts to stamp out corruption in the country, also praised the acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, for seeking to actively engage all stakeholders in the anti-graft campaign.
โYour approach is good and you have developed a goodwill to do well. You have sanitized and cleansed the private and public sectors,โ he said.
While pledging his support to the Commission, the Ooni said he would continue to pray for its success in order to recreate a nation that will be the pride of all the citizens.
“I will continue to pray for you as a traditional ruler. As a co-chairman of traditional rulers, we are doing our best to make sure we have a crime-free society. I can assure you that we will continue to work together for Nigeria to be a better country.
โToday, you have honoured me with your visit to my palace, and I will assure you that we will work together to ensure that our country is a better place even for the generation unborn,โhe said.
The first class monarch then advised the Commission to create a department that would see to how the smart brains of the young internet fraud suspects could be put to use to develop the country.
“I will advice the EFCC to always look at things in a pragmatic manner. Once the youths are arrested, there are positive ways their thoughts could be redirected. There are many ways you can redirect the bad things on their mind and bring out the good ones because many of them are even ignorant of what they are doing.”
“You should have a unit to see to how to develop the brains of those engaging in financial crimes and redirect it and use same to block others from committing the same crime. Use them as anti-venom anytime they are apprehended, especially as to how they were able to carry out successful operations,โ he counseled.
He further admonished the Commission to never pander to the antics of politicians and also be impartial in the discharge of their duties.
The Head of the EFCC Ibadan Zonal office, Friday Ebelo, who led the team to the palace, had earlier informed that the visit was the initiative of the Commissionโs acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu.
According to him, Magu had insisted that all critical stakeholders, especially the traditional institutions across the country, be carried along in the campaign against corruption since they are closer to the people who are the target of the message.
โOur mission here is to seek your assistance to take our message to the grassroots. This country belongs to all of us and if we must develop it, everybody must be involved,โ Ebelo stressed.
