The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, expressed concerns over the increasing volume of money laundering and cash disbursements ahead of next year’s polls.

Secretary of the Commission, George Ekpungu, raised the alarm during the formal signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the anti-corruption agency and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja.

He warned politicians to be wary of their actions and inactions, stressing that the country is dangerously on the precipice of collapse.

“I received the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Thursday, last week and we also charged them on the need to fight against vote buying and people are laundering all sorts of money through cash disbursements for election preparation and the only people there to suffer the blunt of everything is the NYSC,” he said.

Underscoring the contributions of the NYSC scheme, especially the corps members, in the conduct of elections in the country, the scribe of the anti-corruption czar urged the the corps members to be bold enough to resist the politicians.

“My technical assistant has done a good job in trying to put things together concerning the MoU because even if my learned colleague had told me it is going to be this way, we would have been more prepared.

“Be that as it may, we have to implement the MoU, and I want to urge the NYSC DG to be ready for the huge responsibility. The circumstances Nigeria put on your shoulder has been executed by your staff and corps members because the scheme is everywhere and vital like the air we breathe.

“It is either you are seeing the NYSC corps members or the EFCC operatives. All of us are ready to unite Nigeria together and I feel that that responsibility is going to be greater for you in the months ahead because of the general elections coming up next year.

“We are not politicians, but we have continued to ensure that we work with the NYSC to ensure that there is credible elections. The corps members must be bold to resist the politicians because where we are is at the precipice of collapse if we do not work together particularly the NYSC, EFCC, INEC and other stakeholders to salvage the country.

“With due respect to the security people, sometimes you don’t see them, they can’t be everywhere but the corps members are everywhere. I felt I should talk to the DG on that and emphasis that credible, free and fair elections next year is not negotiable and that the EFCC will work as much as possible with the NYSC to ensure this happens,” he charged.

Director-General NYSC, Brigadier General Mohammed Fadah, assured that the scheme will observe its part of the MoU. (Daily Sun: 2023 poll: Text, excluding headline)

Update news