The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, has called on heads of tertiary institutions across the country to join hands with the commission in tackling the rising tide of internet fraud among their students.
Speaking during an interactive session with the Chancellors, Rectors, and Provosts of tertiary institutions in Kogi State at the Ilorin zonal command office in Ilorin, Kwara State
Olukoyede, who spoke through the Ilorin Zonal Commander of the EFCC, ACEI Michael Nzekwe, said that the engagement was in furtherance of their meeting earlier held on May 4, 2023, in Kwara State as part of the proactive measures by the command to checkmate cybercrime in the state.
The EFCC boss called on the authorities of tertiary institutions to put in place measures that would discourage students from indulging in crimes.
He also admonished parents to be more committed to the moral upbringing of their children in schools in order to bolster the prevention agenda of his administration.
“The commission can achieve the task of ridding the country of corruption if every institution gets involved and actively participates in the fight against the menace.
Higher institutions must endeavour to change the current negative narrative regarding the quality of education in Nigeria because a corruption-free Nigeria is possible if every individual is proactively and sincerely involved in the fight against corruption”, he said.
Deliberations were also made on the causes of corruption and its effects on students and society, including preventive measures to adopt to curb corrupt practices in tertiary institutions.
Responding, the Vice Chancellor of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Professor Salawu Sadiku, lauded the initiative of the EFCC, urging the commission to ensure that anti-corruption courses are incorporated into the school curriculum and taught at all levels.
“Youths of today are exposed to a number of vices that are capable of ruining their lives permanently. We need to do more for students to focus on their studies and desist from all forms of cybercrime,”, he said.
Similarly, Dr Salisu Usman, Rector, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, and Dr Umar Hassan, Provost, College of Education, Okene, stressed the need for the introduction of an anti-corruption watchdog as part of veritable measures to checkmate cybercrime on campuses.
In the same vein, Dr Yahaya B. Usman, Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Idah, urged the EFCC to strengthen its intelligence gathering mechanisms in schools, calling on the authorities of schools to enter into a memorandum of understanding that will form an anti-corruption bond that will become a prerequisite for admission of students.
Also speaking, Dr Victoria Jagboro, Provost, College of Education (Technical), Kabba, highlighted the role of parents in reinforcing guidance and counselling both at home and in schools.
She called for attitudinal change, especially on the part of students and parents. She concluded by urging the EFCC to liaise with regulatory bodies to develop content for anti-corruption courses in tertiary institutions.
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