MINNA – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has established 150 Integrity Clubs in secondary schools across the nation.
The EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, represented by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mr Osita Nwaje, said this on Thursday during the launch of the club at the Police Secondary School, Minna, Niger.
He said the formation of the clubs represented the commission’s shift from using traditional law enforcement to crime prevention through education and citizens’ engagement.
“There is no better level to start from, than the level of the Nigerian child; it is for this reason that the commission established the EFCC secondary school Integrity Club.
“The Integrity Club is an association of students whose goal is to advocate integrity and good governance in schools and the society as a whole.
“The clubs are joint proactive efforts between the schools and the commission to instil in our young ones honesty, fairness, responsibility and respect for self and others as well as the citizenship,“ he said.
According to him, corruption can be best prevented if an individual imbibes integrity, honesty accountability, transparency, fairness, equity and trust early in life.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Umar Abdulhameed, urged traditional rulers to stop honouring persons with questionable means of income with traditional titles to curb corruption in the society.
Abdulhameed also appealed to authorities of universities to stop awarding their honorary doctorate degrees to dubious persons in the society.
He said that such awards should be reserved for persons who had contributed meaningfully to the society.
The commissioner directed the state Secondary School Management Board to begin the process of establishing the clubs in the 472 secondary schools across the state.
According to him, this will be part of the ministry’s contribution to the fight against corruption and indiscipline in the society. (NAN)