Ibrahim Magu, former Acting Chairman of the EFCC, has asked for anti-corruption studies to be taught in schools, warning that the problem is too big for any single person or body to tackle.
Magu made the appeal on Thursday during the induction of the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN), which took place at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja.
He was also inducted as a Fellow of the institute at the event.
According to him, teaching children about corruption from a young age will help build a society that understands the dangers of the practice.
“I want to appeal to the president and members of the council, we should collaborate. Yesterday, I saw some primary school and secondary school boys around, I thought they were going to be part of us. Because there is a need for us to extend down, as it should be included in the curriculum, fighting corruption. Everybody is involved, whether you like it or not,” Magu said.
He warned that corruption was too vast to be tackled by an individual or isolated institutions.
“Corruption must be fought across board, everybody. One man cannot fight corruption,” he emphasised.
He also urged closer cooperation between the forensic institute and the judiciary to ensure that evidence presented in court is stronger and better understood.
He said, “ Any investigation you want to make, what you are doing or what you are taking before the court must be watertight. You have to bring the forensic aspect.”
Magu said he was thrilled by the recognition and saw his induction as an encouragement to keep contributing to the fight against corruption.
“I don’t know why I was chosen, as I wasn’t involved in the selection process. However, I believe it was because of my work, and I can assure you the process was completely transparent. No one reached out to me beforehand; the selection was fair and open.”
Looking back on his career, the ex-EFCC boss said the honour serves as motivation for continued service.
“I think it wants to encourage people to continue doing what I did. And it also gave me a lot of reason for me to move forward,” he added.
Earlier, the Pioneer President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIFCFIN, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki, commended Magu for his efforts in fighting corruption despite the challenges of leading the EFCC.
He called the role of EFCC chairman the toughest job in Nigeria.
He noted that no matter the achievements, critics would always say more should have been done.
He recalled that within the Commission, Magu was nicknamed “General” even before he became chairman, because of his firm approach, military-like precision, and commitment to t
truth.
Magu urges anti-corruption studies in school curriculum, says fight requires collective effort