The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Office, has expressed readiness to deepen collaboration with Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ in the fight against economic crimes.
The Acting Zonal Director of the Commission, Sa’ad Hanafi Sa’ad, gave the assurance when he received the leadership of the Correspondents’ Chapel at the Commission’s zonal head office in Kano.
Sa’ad described the media as a critical stakeholder in the anti-graft war, noting that journalists play an indispensable role in creating awareness, exposing corruption, and ensuring transparency.
“Sincerely speaking, I really appreciate your coming. I want to call upon you to join hands with us in this fight against economic and financial crimes. The doors of the EFCC are fully open for collaboration. If they were closed before, now they are fully open,” he said.
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The zonal director also emphasised the importance of investigative journalism, urging reporters to always verify information before publication.
He reminded journalists of the provisions of Section 7 of the EFCC Establishment Act 2004, which allows members of the public and the media to report suspected economic or financial crimes even without a written petition.
“It is very important that stories are properly verified before they are reported to avoid misinformation.
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Equally, journalists must balance reports whenever allegations of offences arise. Once you become aware of an offence, you are at liberty to report it, even anonymously, in line with Section 7 of our Establishment Act,” he added.
Sa’ad emphasized that beyond investigation and prosecution, the EFCC is also committed to sensitisation and public awareness creation on implications of corruption to national interest.
He welcomed proposals for capacity-building initiative to widen the scope of journalists, assuring the Commission would support workshops and training sessions for members of the Chapel on anti-corruption reporting.
Earlier, the Chairman of NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Murtala Adewale, underscored the need for synergy between journalists and the EFCC in the interest of the public.
“For better working relations, the EFCC will be doing us good by organising training and retraining of our members. This will enhance our skills and strengthen our reportage,” he said.
Adewale also informed the EFCC management of the chapel’s forthcoming workshop on “Solutions Journalism” and requested the Commission’s participation.
He commended the EFCC for its efforts in tackling financial crimes despite daunting challenges, stressing that enhanced collaboration with the media would make the anti-graft war more effective.