The Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, Mr. Olatunji Bello has lauded the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede for his sterling leadership qualities and the visible outcomes of the anti-corruption fight under his leadership of the EFCC.
Bello stated this in Abuja on Thursday, August 15, 2024 when he led a team of FCCPC’s management staff on a courtesy visit to the EFCC chairman at the Commission’s corporate headquarters. He further noted that Olukoyede’s leadership qualities and record of achievement in the anti-corruption fight have earned him the trust and confidence of Nigerians.
“We want to commend you for doing great work for the country through the EFCC. Nigerians appreciate you, they appreciate your efforts. They are behind you,” he said.
Bello who disclosed that the motivation for the visit was to seek EFCC’s collaboration for a better delivery of FCCPC’s mandate said, “We feel there should be a collaborative effort. We need to gain some strengths through some of the things that you are doing because some of them are related to some of the work that we do too, particularly in the areas of surveillance and investigation that has to do with consumers. Our duty basically is to protect the interests of consumers in Nigeria. We have been doing that a lot in the past few years but a lot still needs to be done. We have the apparatus and we have the institution but we need collaboration from the EFCC to be able to achieve our objectives. So, we feel that we need more investigation and collaborative efforts with the EFCC. And there are many more areas that we need collaboration with your organization to advance our cause.”
In his response, the EFCC chairman, who expressed appreciation for the visit noted that there has been a longstanding relationship between FCCPC and the EFCC including a subsisting tripartite MoU involving both commissions and a foreign entity. Olukoyede pointed to the need for regulators to work in collaboration with law enforcement agencies for the achievement of better results.
“As regulators and we as law enforcers, there is always the need for us to support you in what you do. We give you the teeth to bite because a lot of our people are being exploited. You are an important regulatory agency and if you do your work very well, it will reduce our own burden in the EFCC .
The EFCC boss noted that the incidents of sabotage of government’s efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the people by some greedy and mischievous citizens makes it imperative for FCCPC to share intelligence with the EFCC.
“Sometimes, the government would release some palliatives and it won’t get to the people it was supposed to get to. Some people will repackage, rebrand and sell them. All sorts of shenanigans going on in our systems. So it is extremely important that you share your intelligence with us to support your compliance or surveillance department and operations generally. When you have such intelligence please don’t hesitate to let us know. You have been doing well in identifying some of these issues but sanctions are also necessary. The only thing that deters people are sanctions. So we will collaborate with you all the more. We are ready to strengthen the relationship and take it to a greater height to ensure that people feel the impact of the work you do. So, don’t hesitate to call on us anytime you want to go out on operations. You need the force of law. You are a regulator and we are law enforcers, so when they see EFCC jackets and FCCPC jackets, people will take us seriously. We are not joking. We need to help the President and the government to succeed,” Olukoyede said.
