Students of tertiary institutions across the country under the auspices of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Monday protested at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The students, during the protest, told journalists that they deemed it fit to march down to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja to express their grievances against the shame internet fraud has brought upon the country.
Led by the Senate President of NANS, Babatunde Akinteye, they called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to help the anti-graft agency in the ongoing fight against the Internet fraudsters and the Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) looting common wealth.
“Emphatically, we condemn all forms of internet fraud and corruption. It is appalling that these vices have brought nothing but shame to our country and have adversely affected our standing in the global community.
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“The consequences are dire and not limited to economic instability, loss of foreign investments and a general sense of distrust among our citizens and the international community,” Akinteye told reporters during the protest.
Our reporter, who was at the commission, reported that the Chairman of the commission, Ola Olukoyede, met the protesting youths during the demonstration and appealed to them not to allow the protest snowball into an unwanted situation.
He reiterated that the commission would not give in, in all the cases it is handling, stressing that it would intensify the fight against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption without hindrance.
The EFCC boss said, “Fighting corruption is a collective responsibility of every stakeholder in the anti-corruption corridor. The EFCC would not relent, that’s why I’m charging Nigerians students to join the commission in the fight.
“It is a collective responsibility to fight corruption in Nigeria, EFCC will not relent, I promise you that whatever it is going to cost us to fight this fight, we will fight it.
“As Nigerian students, you have a future and it is our responsibility to protect you to ensure that you successfully run through your educational system and pass out and get a good job.”
Olukoyede maintained that leaders at all levels of government should be accountable to the people, pointing out that every opportunity to serve Nigerians should be considered as a privilege with readiness to offer maximum benefits to the people.
“There is nothing personal about it, what we are saying is that we must be able to hold people accountable; if you have spent eight years, four years, even if it is one year, by the time you come out, the position you are holding is a position of trust on behalf of all Nigerians – so what we are simply saying is that when you finish, come, we want you to explain how you spent our common wealth while you were in the office,” he said.
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