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EFCC Holds Anti-Corruption Walk In Abuja, 13 Other Zones …Vows To Tackle Looters Of Public Funds
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has vowed to tackle looters of public funds, drainers of resources and other corrupt elements in Nigeria to make room for growth and development across the country.
The EFCC boss stated this in Abuja on Saturday during a road walk held in commemoration of the 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day.
The theme of the 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day is “Uniting the World against Corruption”.
Olukoyede pointed out that the EFCC under his watch would not allow resources meant for economic growth and the greater good of Nigerians to be cornered by looters and that every stolen fund would be recovered to develop social systems in the country.
Olukoyede said, “We are going to give sleepless nights to those stealing our money. We are going to remove opportunities for corruption. We are going to plug the loopholes.
“We are in the era of a new budget. We have sent word to all the gatekeepers of our finances in Nigeria that we are going to work with them. Every money that is released, we are going to track them.”
He further promised that the anti-corruption mandate of the EFCC is being refocused to stimulate growth and development in all the sectors of the economy.
“We are refocusing the anti-corruption mandate of the EFCC. We will fight corruption to stimulate growth and development and remove all the threats to the progress of the nation. We are tired of corruption in Nigeria. Our youths must have job opportunities.”
On the theme of the 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day, Olukoyede stated that the whole world must come together to fight corruption and expressed readiness to approach the international community for the recovery of stolen funds kept abroad.
He said, “Those who are keeping looted funds abroad are more corrupt than us. We are going to go after them. We will recover our funds and use them to develop our systems.”
The Tide reports that the road walk was held in all the 14 zonal commands of the EFCC, as the one by the Abuja Zonal Command in Wuse district witnessed massive turn out of Nigerians, including staff of the EFCC, civil society organisations, representatives of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Police, Armed Forces, National Youth Service Corps, women groups, media and other stakeholders.
Meanwhile , the EFCC has raised the alarm over increasing cases of land fraud and cyber crimes in South-East geopolitical zone.
Enugu Zonal Commander of the anti-graft agency, Aliyu Naibi, spoke on Saturday, while fielding questions from journalists during the anti-corruption road walk in Enugu in commemoration of this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day, as declared by the United Nations
According to him, the ugly trends of land fraud were increasingly discouraging investments, while announced that the commission had put machinery in place to discourage the scourge.
He, however, noted that it was still the people and government of the region that should permanently end it.
He said, “Our major challenge in South-East and Enugu in particular, are people using land to defraud other people. This is the kind of report we get almost daily. Another is the issue of cybercrime mostly by youths.”
The EFCC chief called on the anti-corruption stakeholders to rise and save the region from the ugly trend of land fraud and cybercrime in the interest of the region and her youths.
“We want to use this opportunity to implore our community, religious leaders and traditional rulers to intervene and checkmate this ugly trend.
“The state government is not left behind also. They and every aspect of society must stand up against this by talking and taking action.
“I say this because land fraud is an economic sabotage and it discourages investors from coming into any state where it is practised,” he said.
On the road walk in Enugu, Naibi explained that it was meant to create awareness about the negative effects of corruption.
While delivering the speech of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, Naibi called on anti-corruption stakeholders to unite and continue to support the commission to break the chain of corruption in the country.
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NASS commends FIRS for surpassing 2024 target, sets 2025 goal
The National Assembly has lauded the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Zacch Adedeji, for exceeding the 2024 revenue collection target of N19.4 trillion.
FIRS generated N21.6 trillion, surpassing the target by N2.2 trillion.
The commendation came during a meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, where the FIRS chairman appeared before the joint committee on Finance to defend the service’s revenue projections for 2025.
The committee proposed a N25 trillion revenue generation target for FIRS in the coming fiscal year.
Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Saidu Abdullahi, was the first to commend Adedeji’s performance, calling it “unprecedented” and “worthy of commendation.”
“The feat achieved by FIRS in revenue collection for 2024 was unprecedented and truly commendable.
“Surpassing the target set for the agency in the 2024 Appropriation Act, from N19.4 trillion to N21.6 trillion, is both encouraging and impressive,” he said.
He encouraged the FIRS to study the tax collection methods of South Africa, which generated higher tax revenue, and to focus on expanding the taxable base to include more informal sector workers.
Sen. Joel Onowakpo emphasised that tax collection was a global norm, and advised the committee to raise FIRS’s projected 2025 revenue target to N30 trillion.
Similarly, Sen. Binos Yeroe lauded Adedeji’s innovative approach in surpassing the 2024 target.
“Your performance in 2024 was highly commendable, and I hope you continue to maintain this level of success,” he said.
Rep. Etanabene Benedict suggested aiming for N60 trillion in 2025 to avoid borrowing.
Committee chairmen also supported the proposed N25 trillion revenue goal for 2025; with Sen. Sani Musa stating that it was both “achievable and surpassable.”
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Abbas, Kalu express grief over Deputy Chief Whip, Onanuga’s death
Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has expressed deep grief over the demise of the Deputy Chief Whip of the house, Rep. Adewunmi Onanuga.
In a statement on yesterday, Abbas described the late lawmaker as a strong pillar who would be sorely missed in the house.
The Tide source reports that Onanuga, who died on Wednesday, represented Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency and was serving her second term in the house.
Abbas said that he had led members of the house in support and prayers for Onanuga during her health challenge and was hopeful of her recovery, saying that her eventual death was painful.
He recalled Onanuga’s campaigns for gender equality, women empowerment and inclusion in politics and governance, as Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Welfare in the Ninth House and as a principal officer in the 10th House.
Abbas also recalled how the late lawmaker, as the only female member in the leadership of the house, inspired and rallied female legislators for the greater good of the chamber and the country in general.
“Onanuga was a brilliant woman, experienced politician, resourceful lawmaker and a dependable ally in the legislative business,” he said.
Abbas commiserated with the Onanuga family and her constituents, the people and the government of Ogun as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the demise of the legislator.
Also, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, expressed sadness over Onanuga’s death.
Kalu described the deceased as a shining example of dedication, compassion and selfless lawmaker whose service to her constituents and the nation was outstanding.
He acknowledged her support for the Peace In South East Project (PISE-P), which demonstrated her passion for defeating insecurity in Nigeria.
“Onanuga was a dedicated and committed lawmaker, renowned for her unwavering commitment to peace.
“Her passion for promoting harmony and understanding was truly commendable. Beyond her legislative accomplishments, Onanuga’s compassion, humility and simplicity inspired countless individuals.
“Her warm and infectious smile, coupled with her empathetic nature, endeared her to everyone she met, making her a beloved figure in the lives of many,” he said.
Kalu said that Onanuga would be remembered for her commitment to the cause of women’s empowerment and political inclusion as well as her relentless efforts toward ensuring that the gender bills were passed.
The deputy speaker extended his heartfelt condolences to the Onanuga family, her colleagues and constituents, saying that she would be greatly missed.
He prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the late lawmaker and the fortitude to bear the loss.
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Rotary Foundation commits $300m to polio eradication in Nigeria
The Rotary International Foundation says it has committed over 300 million dollars to polio eradication in Nigeria.
Its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mark Maloney, disclosed this on Thursday while conducting polio immunisation at a Primary Healthcare Centre in Jahi, Abuja.
According to him, polio eradication is Rotary’s number one priority worldwide and it is focused on eradicating the variant type two poliovirus cases discovered in 2024.
Maloney said efforts towards eradicating the polio variant should be intensified, adding that recording success in that area would be beneficial to the Nigerian government.
He also commended the Federal Government’s polio accountability programme as well as all Rotarians for their efforts in putting an end to the disease.
“The Nigerian government is facing a significant challenge with the continuation of variant polio type two, and so far, we have seen about 92 cases through the cases that have been evaluated in 2024.
“We encourage the government to redouble their efforts to put the focus on this polio eradication as they did with the Wild Polio Virus (WPV), and they were successful.”
On new donations to Nigeria, Maloney said that Rotary would allocate some funds in 2025, but the amount was yet to be determined.
“There are 50 million dollars that I expect will be allocated, but a lot of it has to go to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where WPV is still endemic.
“Though, I think there will be a significant tranche of funds, maybe not tens of millions, but a significant amount of money will be allocated to Nigeria,” he added.
The chairman noted that the organisation has allocated two million dollars to its Programme of Scale project aimed at reducing the rate of birth-related mortality in Nigeria.
“What we are looking to do is to decrease the rate of mortality in births in this country, and it is operating now in several districts.
“One way that the mortality rate can be decreased is for more births to happen in a healthcare facility rather than at home.
“We have seen in the first year of the programme a significant increase in the percentages of births happening in medical facilities.
“One district had gone from 11 per cent happening in medical facilities to 33 per cent, which is a significant increase,” he added.
The Chairman of the organisation’s Nigeria National Polio Plus Committee, Mr Joshua Hassan, said outbreak immunisation efforts are conducted locally in response to the vaccine-derived variant of polio.
Hassan said national immunisation days are planned twice a year for the entire country.
According to him, the organisation is focusing more of its efforts on Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto states.
Prof. Emmanuel Lufadeju, the National Coordinator of Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria, said that the Programme of Scale project was designed to reduce maternal mortality among women by 25 per cent.
Lufadeju said that this is done through community dialogue, home outreaches, medical outreaches, and capacity building.
“We are going to train a lot of people, including doctors and nurses.
“Then we are going to do something that is called a social, behavioural change, to change the attitude of people and make them deliver in the facility instead of delivering at home.”
He added that the two million dollar project, which began in 2024, is expected to end in 2025.
The Tide source reports that Maloney is in Nigeria for an official visit to embark on advocacy, carry out symbolic immunisation, visit the Programme of Scale project areas, and also visit President Bola Tinubu.
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