President Bola Tinubu has warned against stereotyping Nigeria as a country of internet fraudsters commonly known as “yahoo-yahoo.”
Tinubu condemned those calling internet fraud a “Nigerian scam” at A One-Day Public Engagement on Youth, Religion, and the Fight Against Corruption organised by The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, January 31.
The President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said cybercrimes and corruption were rather a global phenomenon.
“Today’s world is run real-time on the internet. Governance, businesses, institutions, and even individual domestic affairs are dependent on the internet. Cybercriminals are, therefore, a threat to the rest of the world.
“This is why no effort or expense should be spared in confronting evil. I want to assure the EFCC that the government will continue to offer its support in its quest to kill the dragon that internet offences have become”, he said.
Tinubu also expressed his determination to tackle corruption “head-on,” stressing that no nation can grow “without breaking the fangs of corruption.”
“We cannot be focused on growth and development and at the same time offer any breathing space to corrupt practices. The EFCC has been duly instructed to do its job at all times without any extraneous considerations. The Renewed Hope agenda of our government is impervious to corruption. We should all join hands together to move Nigeria in a new direction of purpose”, he said.
Launching the Fraud Risk Assessment for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede acknowledged the prevalence of corrupt practices in the country. However, he highlighted the Commission’s successes in terms of convictions and recoveries.
“The recalibration of the Commission’s prevention strategy seeks to promote proactive deterrence and greater inclusivity in terms of participation of all stakeholders. Our motivation is to see how corruption, whether in ministries and agencies of government, in the ivory towers, or the private sector, could be prevented before it occurs”, he said.
The EFCC boss said the launch of the Fraud Risk Assessment Project for MDAs was aimed at enhancing the transparency and accountability of public institutions and reducing the opportunities for corruption.
