The Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
\nIbrahim Magu has called for the strengthening of collaborations among
\nAfrica States, in order to check illicit financial flows, with the aim
\nof winning the fight against corruption on the continent.<\/p>\n
“The intricate webs of illicit financial flows developed by organized
\ncriminal groups that have deprived African economies of crucial
\nresources for development, have made the need for effective
\ncollaboration among African States in the fight against corruption more
\nimperative,” he said.<\/p>\n
Magu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Olanipekun
\nOlukoyede, gave the charge at the commencement of a five-day Strategic
\nManagement Training Workshop for Anti-Corruption Agencies in
\nCommonwealth Africa, organized by the EFCC in collaboration with the
\nCommonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre, CAACC, at the EFCC Academy,
\nKaru, Abuja, August 19, 2019.<\/p>\n
He emphasized the importance of capacity building for officers of law
\nenforcement agencies in order to equip them with the necessary skills to
\ntackle new and emerging vices and financial crimes.<\/p>\n
“The task of fighting corruption is not only Herculean, but
\nsophisticated, as organized criminal gangs are daily devising new and
\nsophisticated means of perpetrating fraud and other criminal
\nactivities,” he said, stressing that for anti-corruption agencies to be
\nsuccessful in their mission, they must be ahead of such fraudsters and
\ncriminals.<\/p>\n
While emphasising on the importance of the workshop, he noted that the
\nprogramme is “designed to improve the capacity of Anti-corruption
\nAgencies in [the] Commonwealth in order to deliver the mandate of
\nfighting the corruption scourge militating against our collective
\ndevelopmental efforts”.<\/p>\n
Magu added that it was expected to yield positive results in the fight
\nagainst corruption, resulting in a strategic plan to strengthen
\nanti-corruption agencies across Africa.<\/p>\n
He warned that not charting a new course to fight corruption will imply
\nresigning to “the fate of doom, which a free reign of corruption holds
\nfor the future generation”.<\/p>\n
“It has become increasingly imperative that we sit down and talk about
\nour common problem of corruption and chart a course out of its grip,” he
\nsaid, adding that it was important for anti-graft agencies to up their
\ngames considering the changing tactics of the corrupt to “steal, loot,
\ncheat and conceal the proceeds of their crimes”.<\/p>\n
The Interim Adviser and Head, Public Sector Governance Unit,
\nCommonwealth Secretariat, Roger Koranteng, also noted the importance of
\nstrengthening collaborations among African countries in the fight
\nagainst corruption.<\/p>\n
“Such collaboration will help achieve meaningful and long lasting effort
\nto combat corruption and to enhance good governance on the continent,”
\nhe said, as he counselled Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth
\nAfrica to collaborate with CAACC which has a regional reach to mount
\nprogrammes to benefit Africa Anti Corruption Agencies.<\/p>\n
On his part, the Chief Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, Chile
\nIgbawua noted that the task of fighting corruption in whatever form
\ngrows more complicated by the day, as criminals also develop new
\nstrategies.<\/p>\n
“For us to be successful in this fight, collaboration with other
\nanti-corruption agencies is important as it will yield results, and for
\nus to be successful in this task, there must be cooperation either
\nvoluntarily or compulsorily,” he said.<\/p>\n
While delivering his paper, titled, “Strategy, Structure and
\nPerformance”, Founder, Centre for Value in Leadership, Patrick Utomi,
\nstressed that “the success of any organization is linked to its
\ncorporate culture and staff adherence to core values and in order to
\nachieve long term goals is to commit to something.”<\/p>\n
He added that most organizations fail because they try to serve
\neverything whereas there is the need to strategize. He thus advised that
\nleaders should apply leadership influence instead of assertion of power.<\/p>\n
Highlighting fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of
\naccountability, not paying attention to results, as reasons why
\norganizations fail, he charged the EFCC on the need to “make it
\nimpossible for people to steal government funds by employing the use of
\nartificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.”<\/p>\n
Earlier in her welcome address, the acting Commandant, EFCC Academy,
\nProf. Lami Hamalai called for support amongst the anti-corruption
\nagencies and for the need to restrategize in combating corruption.<\/p>\n
“There is need for new strategy which should focus on preventive
\nmeasures to endure that funds meant for development and social policies
\nare utilized accordingly,” she said.<\/p>\n
The workshop, which will come to an end of August 23, 2019, follows the
\nEFCC’s agreement with the Botswana-based CAACC to host and co-facilitate
\none of the six trainings of the body in 2019, in order to avail African
\nanti-corruption agencies, especially those of the 19-member country
\norganization, the opportunity to gain from the EFCC’s wealth of
\nexperience in executing the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Representatives at the works are from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho,
\nKenya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malawi and Nigeria.<\/p>\n
It is remarkable that the CAACC usually hosts its trainings, workshops
\nand courses in Botswana, but for the first time, it is jointly hosting
\nits training in Nigeria in collaboration with the EFCC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has called for the strengthening of collaborations among Africa States, in order to check illicit financial flows, with the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n