The executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on heads of tertiary institutions in the country to join hands with the commission in tackling the rising tide of internet fraud among students of tertiary institutions.
He made this call while having an interactive session with 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 EFCC, 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 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 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.
Responding, the vice chancellor of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Prof 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 several 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 cybercrimes”, he said.