Let the threshing continue, By Tony Egbulefu

The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) like some other model that locations worth on its title and repute would often confront and take down hurdles on the trail of its cherished values and glory. Not doing so could be a negligence that would impair its respectability and dim its shine within the public area. Dishonest workers are one of many largest dangers to organisations’ successes. Subsequently, coping with them as an institutional drawback is a necessity that requires will, sturdy and righteous management.

The sack of 27 errant officers of the EFCC has come and gone. What’s hoped to endure within the consciousness of members of the general public and notably the officers of the Fee is the message the sack leaves; the teachings which might be learnt and the clear understanding of the mindset of Ola Olukoyede, the person with the winnowing fork on the Fee’s helm of affairs.

From his day one in workplace, Olukoyede has proved to not be a person of useless jangling and empty rhetorics. He walks his speak in his coverage goal of deployment of the anti-corruption struggle in stimulating slightly than hobbling the financial system; so additionally within the observance of the rule of regulation, larger professionalism within the anti-graft battle, the advance of asset restoration, prioritisation of fraud prevention, the no sacred cow coverage, entrenchment of integrity in Nigeria’s monetary sector and our on-line world, workers welfare and capability constructing.

Coming additional right down to specifics, his dismissal of the 27 officers in a single 12 months testifies to his zero-tolerance for unethical practices on the a part of the Fee’s officers who ought to slightly exemplify probity as anti-graft crusaders.

Within the gentle of the first place of the correct values within the Fee’s officers, the EFCC boss spares no alternative to bolster the truth that enforcement of moral behaviours in his officers are of excessive precedence to him. He declared his property earlier than he might even buckle right down to work upon his appointment and stipulated that each one workers members should comply with suite. In making the stipulation, he noticed that preventing corruption required these at its vanguard to be above board and to dwell by what they preach.

“All of us are going to declare our property; from stage 17, downward you all can also have executed it prior to now, however there’s want for all of us to do it once more. We are going to declare our property, and we’re going to examine it. We should dwell above board by setting the tempo with good examples. As anti-corruption fighters, our fingers have to be clear, so we should declare our property. Let our fingers be clear and and let’s put our home so as. Some might not like me, however I’m going to do the correct factor,” he declared six days into the job.

Moreover the 27 that he has given the boot, 10 officers of the Lagos Directorate as of writing are in detention. The officers who had been arrested within the first week of January on the orders of the Government Chairman are answering questions associated to the whereabouts of some operational objects put beneath their watch that they might now not account for. It’s a provided that these discovered culpable on the finish of the investigation will likely be subjected to the laid down disciplinary rule. Fortunately, Olukoyede has created a powerful code of conduct that spells out acceptable conducts and the penalties for breaking them.

Saying the dismissal of two of the Fee’s officers on the annual Felony Regulation Overview Convention, organised by the Rule of Regulation Growth Basis final November in Abuja, Olukoyede acknowledged that the weeding means of rogue parts within the Fee was a apply that has come to remain beneath his management, aimed totally at self-cleansing. These dismissed for outright legal behaviours will additional have the misfortune of present process prosecution by the Fee, he added. “You may’t struggle corruption with soiled fingers. He who involves fairness will need to have clear fingers. I cannot solely dismiss corrupt workers members however can even prosecute them, as we do with others,” he mentioned.

Whereas the Fee had the Division of Inner Affairs – an inner ethical police division that screens and enforces self-discipline and moral values among the many officers – Olukoyede needed to change its title to the Division of Ethics and Integrity (DEI) to allow it ring loud and true to its duties and essence within the minds of the division’s officers and all officers of the Fee typically.

As he continues to obtain plaudits for dropping off the 27 unhealthy eggs, it have to be acknowledged that there’s a large threat in opting to abide dishonest workers. Organisations should realise that one of many tendencies that make a rogue out of an worker is that he feels no scruples in straying out of line to commit sabotage, fraud, theft, compromise knowledge safety and confidentiality and commit corruption. Dishonest officers of the Fee search to create a poisonous work atmosphere that may negatively affect the morale and productiveness of different officers.

In Olukoyede’s EFCC, these anti-social behaviours and any look of them are unforgiveable sins. He treats them as such as a way to protect a constructive work tradition within the Fee and to safeguard the Fee’s title and repute that are its most precious property, and assure public belief within the Fee and its anti-corruption campaign. For these, the EFCC beneath him will proceed to smoke out and flush out dishonest workers. It’s cheery that he has acknowledged in no unclear phrases and on file that the winnowing could be with out ceasing to save lots of the Fee from reputational harm and erosion of public belief on account of the rogue actions of few undesirable parts in its fold.

Reward and punishment are on the fulcrum of Olukoyede’s relationship with officers of the Fee. In a 12 months that he shoved out 27 dishonest officers, he ensured in one other breath that each one staffers with out exception who had been eligible for promotion bought elevated to their subsequent rank. Whereas there may be an advert hoc Employees Disciplinary Committee that packs a sting in opposition to reprobate officers, he has equally put in place a system of reward for onerous work, excellence and diligence within the workforce.

When dishonest officers of the Fee are allowed to proceed with their misconduct, it sends a message to diligent ones that unethical behaviours might be tolerated. Whereas this may result in a decline in motivation, and job satisfaction, it will probably finally have an effect on the Fee’s general efficiency outcomes and sustainability. Clearly, Olukoyede is in no temper for such.

Tony Egbulefu is of the Public Affairs Division of the EFCC.