Erstwhile
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida
Waziri, yesterday, revealed that she came under “fierce attacks, slander,
blackmail and threats,” while trying to end oil-money induced corruption in the
country.
Waziri
in a statement by her media aide, Ade Williams, said she was happy that
there is a new sheriff in town, alluding to the anti-corruption stance of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
Williams
quoted her as saying so at the Benue State University, Makurdi, during the
inauguration of World Bank’s Africa Centre of Excellence Project, Centre for
Food Technology and Research.
The
university was chosen by the World Bank as one of the centres for its 10 Africa
Centre of Excellence Project.
While
calling for a drastic diversification of the nation’s economy from oil through
policies that will boost agricultural productivity and reduce corruption, the
ex-EFCC boss said long years of over-dependence on oil revenue was one of the
driving forces of public and private sector corruption in the country.
Waziri
said diversification of the economy would also boost industrial output for the
socio-economic development of Nigeria.
She
said: “No doubt, our over-dependence on oil revenue has brought us to the point
where we are as a nation today. As an anti-corruption czar, I have seen how
some of those the nation entrusted with its oil resources in the past helped
themselves more than the country.
“With
our focus on agriculture, the struggle by political office holders to steal oil
fund would diminish while the national wealth will be in the hands of the
people instead of a privileged greedy few. We cannot all dig oil wells in our
backyard but we can all farm in our backyards. It is time to end oil-money
induced corruption in our land by buying into President Buhari’s vision and
take ownership.
“I
have made my contributions in the fight to discourage that and even recovered
some of the looted funds in billions of dollars. For daring to do that, I came
under fierce attacks, slander, blackmail and threats but by God’s grace and
long years of experience, I survived all. I am glad today that indeed, there is
a new sheriff in town.”
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