EFCC’s anti-corruption fight central to Nigeria progress - UNILORIN VC

The University of Ilorin's Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, has thrown his weight behind the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), declaring its anti-corruption crusade as fundamental to Nigeria's advancement. During a visit to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, Egbewole lauded the commission's efforts, emphasizing that tackling economic and financial crimes is key to unlocking Nigeria's potential.

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You are doing a wonderful job in the EFCC. I have followed very keenly because I believe that if we are able to solve the challenge of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria, the country will be a lot better than it currently is.

Egbewole specifically highlighted the EFCC's impressive record of recovering over N500 billion from illicit proceeds, a feat he believes demonstrates the commission's effectiveness. He also praised the EFCC's proactive approach, particularly its focus on crime prevention and the redirection of recovered funds towards developmental projects. This shift towards utilizing recovered assets for national development, he noted, marks a significant positive change.

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One of the things that I’ve seen is that one of your cardinal programmes as the Executive Chairman is to ensure that we prevent crime. And of course, raising over N500 billion from the proceeds of crime means that EFCC is doing wonderfully well.

The Vice Chancellor also articulated the university's interest in collaborating with the EFCC. He sees a vital role for the EFCC in addressing corruption within Nigeria's electoral processes, an area his university's Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies is keen to explore. Egbewole believes that a strong partnership between academia and anti-corruption bodies can foster ethical values and bolster institutional integrity across the nation.

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More of the difference now is that when we get these recoveries, we see them being channelled to more positive and developmental things. You will continue to make better strides.

This endorsement from a prominent academic figure like Prof. Egbewole underscores the growing recognition of the EFCC's importance in Nigeria's ongoing efforts to build a more prosperous and just society. The call for synergy between universities and anti-graft agencies signals a proactive approach to instilling a culture of integrity from the grassroots up, a perspective that resonates deeply within Nigeria as it strives to overcome systemic corruption.

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As a university, we have a Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies and we believe that one of the challenges of our society is the fact that violence and corruption bedevil our electioneering process. And we believe that one of the major critical stakeholders in ensuring that we avoid corruption in our process is the EFCC.