NELFUND: EFCC injects recovered N50b into education sector
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has injected N50 billion it recovered as proceeds of crime into the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
Managing Director/CEO of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, said this when he visited the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
This was also as Olukoyede applauded President Bola Tinubu on his initiative regarding NELFUND.
He described it as a policy issue to tackle corruption.
He gave the commendation in Abuja on Tuesday when he received Sawyerr who came with his management team to the corporate headquarters of the EFCC on a courtesy visit.
Olukoyede pointed out that the inability of many parents to fund the education of their children had always been a predisposing factor of corruption, making students vulnerable to all forms of economic and financial crimes.
This inducement to corruption, he said, would no longer stand with NELFUND’s intervention through the President.
He said: “One of the main incentives to cybercrimes is the inability of parents to fund the education of their children.
“NELFUND is a policy issue against crimes.
“President Tinubu should be commended for initiating the fund.”
Olukoyede called on the management team of NELFUND to be sensitive to the trust reposed in them, warning that the EFCC would leave no stone unturned to achieve transparent handling of the fund.
He said: “Let your hands be clean.
“I repeat: Let your hands be clean.
“The work entrusted to you is going to help the EFCC fight corruption.
“Let your systems and processes be transparent.”
Olukoyede further explained his desire for accountable handling of NELFUND was informed by passion for transparency and not any threat of any kind.
He vowed that the EFCC would do everything to prevent the re-looting of the fund.
He said: “I will fight to ensure that money pooled together to support NELFUND is not re-looted.
“We want your management to be giving reports of your disbursement to the EFCC.
“Don’t sign what is not clear to you.
“Don’t give in to any pressure.
“Let your staff know that there is no money to share.”
The EFCC Chairman called on Nigerians to rally round the management of NELFUND to ensure that the scheme succeeds.
He said: “Nigerians should come together to ensure that the programme succeeds.
“It is our duty to help the President succeed.”
Sawyerr explained that NELFUND was a laudable programme designed to provide funding for education of indigent students.
He decried the neglect of youths over the years, which made them to be backward in their education pursuit.
He said: “The youths constitute the most populous, restive but neglected segment of our population.
“President Tinubu identified this as a major problem and put in place a major solution to address the issue.”
The NELFUND boss appreciated the EFCC for the N50 billion injected into the fund from the proceeds of crime recovered by the Commission, adding: “We are aware of the funds from the proceeds of crime extended to NELFUND.
“We are here to express our gratitude for the gesture.
“We also want the EFCC to exercise oversight on what we are doing.”