'Stop lamenting,' EFCC boss Bawa begs corps members to become whistleblowers

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has called on members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to play a more active role in the agency's fight against corruption.

Numerous representatives of the 41-year-old appeared at orientation camps all over the country on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 urging corps members to become foot soldiers for the anti-graft agency.

Bawa said young Nigerians cannot be 'mere spectators' in the anti-graft war and must contribute significantly to ending it in Nigeria.

"You should become whistleblowers in any place where you find yourself by reporting acts that fail the simple test of integrity. 

"It's no use lamenting that things are not right with our country. We are inviting you to lend a hand in helping us build a society where there is respect for law and order and where impunity is a thing of the past," he said.

The Federal Government's whistleblowing policy allows members of the public to provide information about financial malpractice, mismanagement of public funds, fraud, and other such violations to authorities.

A whistleblower responsible for providing authorities with information that directly leads to the recovery of stolen public funds and assets may be entitled to between 2.5% to 5.0% of amount recovered.

Bawa's sensitisation lecture on Wednesday also called on Nigerian youths to shun crime and be responsible role models, despite the challenges faced in the country.

"The fact that the rate of unemployment is high should not be an excuse to resort to crime. Acts of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term but ultimately, they lead to misery," he said.

The EFCC boss warned that the consequences of living a life of crime can be shameful, and urged young Nigerians to embrace hard work instead.