By Okechukwu Onuegbu
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Friday, commissioned a zonal office in Awka, vowing to protect Anambra and Imo States from economic sabotage, including cyber crimes and related matters.
The Chairman, EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede, who stated this at the commissioning, explained that the new commission's headquarters came because they have seen Nigerians from both States creating businesses, building industry, trading, investing, and generating employment.
He said, "These legitimate economic activities must be protected from fraud, from cybercrime, and money laundering, advance fee fraud, diversion of public resources, and other forms of economic and financial crime. Therefore, our coming to Awka is beyond geographical expansion.
"It's about bringing the agency a bit closer to the people, and closer to the economic activities we are meant to protect. Part of our mandate is to also help you to safeguard your economy. And so, I charge Mr Governor and the head of the office here to develop a cordial working relationship.
"We look at vulnerable areas in the system, vulnerability in particular areas, and areas that are vulnerable to fraud, and we work with you to draw what we call risk assessment and control. That will be part of the mission. So, we are not just here to hunt you, we are here to work with you to make sure that you succeed in your economic activities. In pursuit of our mandate as well, our primary engagement is in corruption. We have made impressive progress."
The Speaker, Federal House of Representative, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, who represented President Bola Tinubu, urged the government of Anambra and Imo states to protect the critical infrastructure of the agency as Nigerians owe much to its decisive action for economic development.
"I, therefore, call upon all Nigerians to take ownership of this collective crusade. Restoring transparency, accountability, and due process across all sectors of governance demands the active cooperation of every citizen," he noted.
Responding, the Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, while embracing the anti-graft agency, described it as a welcome development while his Imo State counterparts, governor Hope Uzodimma, pledged partnership with the commission in the fight against financial crimes.
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