The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has called on Nigerians to support the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its fight against all forms of corruption in the country.
The youths described corruption as a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the Nigerian system, slowing down the country’s development despite revenue generated from oil and non-oil sectors.
Recall that the chairman of EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, in an interview on Channels Television, said the Commission investigated a matter in which a bank Managing Director sold a property to a Minister at $37.5 million.
The bank then sent a vehicle to her house to evacuate the sum of $20 million in the first instance.
The speaker of the group, Mohammed Salihu Danlami, while briefing newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday explained that the group noted with concern that country’s image has been destroyed among comity of nations, stressing that Nigerians have been painted as corrupt individuals despite all the efforts put in place by the current administration to bring corruption to a logical end.
The group lamented that the few Nigerians who believe in that trademark are not willing to stop it, rather they summoned courage to confront the country’s anti- corruption chairman with a series of threats.
It added that many Nigerians have enriched themselves through these illegal means at the detriment of other Nigerians.
The statement noted that money meant for infrastructure, health, education, roads, among others has over the years been embezzled by a few, who use the same money stolen to intimidate, harass, torture and enslave other Nigerians.
According to AYA, their objective and mission is to see how to end corruption in Nigeria as their sole reason for supporting President Buhari at the 2015 and 2019 general elections.
The youth expressed joy with the appointment of Bawa as EFCC chairman, saying that Nigerians are pleased with the way and manner he is fighting corruption.
The youth noted that the threat should not be taken for granted but enjoined Nigerians from all walks of life to condemn it and join hands to fight corruption for the progress and development of the country.
According to the youths, “Any attack or threat on the chairman is a threat on us and we will be forced to investigate who made the threat and use the law to deal with the person directly to act as deterrence to any other person nursing such thought.
“Mr Bawa must be supported by all well-meaning Nigerians to bring corruption to a standstill. He needs our support and prayers,” the statement added.
It observed that EFCC in the past couple of months has arrested many internet fraudsters around the country and also arrests juju scam kingpin, Abayomi Kamaldeen alaka (a.k.a awise), leader of a deadly syndicate of juju scammers that operates from a shrine at Ashipa town, near Abeokuta Ogun state.
