The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has actually charged Nigerian students to see themselves as critical stakeholders in the country’s future by embracing integrity and actively taking part in the battle against corruption.
Olukoyede gave the charge on Thursday throughout a study visit by students of Fairview Academy to the corporate headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Jabi, Abuja.
Represented by the Head of the Enlightenment and Re-orientation Unit of the Commission, Assistant Leader of the EFCC, Aisha Mohammad, the anti-graft agency manager urged the trainees to end up being ambassadors of stability and anti-corruption supporters in their schools, homes and neighborhoods.
Dealing with the students, Olukoyede stressed that the younger generation remained the best expect Nigeria’s future and should uphold moral worths efficient in rearranging the country for sustainable advancement.
“You are stakeholders in the future of this nation. Just as your moms and dads compromise to secure your future, Nigeria is also investing in you because you are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
He further encouraged the students to act as “foot soldiers” and whistle-blowers for the EFCC, insisting that the Commission might not win the anti-corruption war without the active support of Nigerians, particularly young people.
“The EFCC can not battle corruption alone. We need young people like you to defend stability, decline wrongdoing and speak out versus corruption anywhere you see it,” he specified.
Olukoyede likewise alerted the students versus all types of criminality, including examination malpractice, cybercrime, web scams and other unethical activities capable of jeopardising their future.
As part of the sensitisation programme, Deputy Superintendent of the EFCC, Abdulhameed Wodi of the Cybercrime Section, educated the students on the threats and consequences of cybercrime.
Wodi explained cybercrime as unlawful activities carried out through digital platforms and electronic devices, alerting that the growing hazard positions serious dangers to nationwide security and financial development.
According to him, typical cyber-related crimes include love frauds, identity theft, impersonation, hacking, phishing, phony news and online fraud targeted at unsuspecting victims.
He discussed that many young people are drawn into cybercrime due to the fact that of lack of knowledge, peer pressure and the desire for quick wealth, cautioning that such actions frequently bring in extreme legal and social effects.
Wodi recommended the trainees to embrace safe online practices by avoiding suspicious links, making it possible for two-factor authentication on their gadgets and social media accounts, verifying information before sharing online and exercising care when engaging with strangers on the web.
“Do not click on suspicious links. Validate details before sharing it online. Take care with unidentified sites and good friend demands. Your digital activities can remain online completely and might affect your future profession and track record,” he alerted.
He advised the students to preserve stability in the digital area and become responsible users of interaction devices.
In his remarks, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, Gbenga Akinwande, explained that the Knowledge and Re-orientation System of the Commission was developed to avoid criminal activities through public sensitisation and value reorientation.
According to him, criminal offense avoidance stays more efficient and less costly than examination and prosecution.
“It is cheaper and simpler to avoid crime than to examine and prosecute it. That is why the EFCC is investing heavily in knowledge and reorientation, specifically amongst youths,” he stated.
Akinwande even more revealed that the system routinely performs awareness projects and educational programmes in schools and neighborhoods on cybercrime, internet fraud, money laundering and corruption.
He added that the Commission also establishes Integrity Clubs in schools as platforms for raising ethically upright young Nigerians devoted to honesty, openness and responsibility.
The EFCC official advised the trainees to become positive influences among their peers and extend the anti-corruption campaign beyond the class into their homes and neighborhoods.