The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, has urged media platforms and journalists to expose corrupt practices and persons rather than celebrate them.
Mr Bawa gave the charge on Wednesday at EFCC Headquarters in Abuja while declaring open a one-day workshop with financial crimes reporters on the effective reporting of economic and financial crimes.
He appealed to the media to take the coverage of economic crimes seriously, and to expose corrupt practices no matter whose ox is gored.
“While wishing you a happy deliberation, let me use this opportunity to appeal to the media to be cautious in the coverage of economic crimes and ensure you verify your facts before publication,” Mr Bawa said.
“As a worthy, dependable, and reliable ally, I want to use this opportunity to further urge media practitioners to put the interest of our country at heart, particularly as it relates to a conscientious effort not to celebrate the corrupt in our midst, but to expose them on the pages of your newspapers, screens of television, or on our various online platforms.
“As watchdog of society, you must be mindful that your reportage is a mirror that shapes global perception of our institutions and nation. It logically follows that this sacred duty is one that must be discharged with a lot of responsibility and, of course, patriotism.”
Speaking on the topic: ‘Best Practices in Financial Crimes Reporting’, Dele Oyewale, Assistant Director, Media & Publicity Unit of the anti-graft agency, noted that economic and financial crimes across the world are evolving with disturbing dynamics, with criminality outpacing technological advancement with breath-taking sophistication.
He, therefore, called on the media to attune itself to the rising strides and trends of criminality, while at the same time, rising to the challenges of hard work, integrity, self-motivation and clear focus in their reporting.
“Unless issues of un-reporting, under-reporting and non-follow up of existing cases in court are addressed, best practices in financial crimes reporting would be a mirage”, Mr Oyewale added.
Other resource persons who attended the workshop and spoke on different topics, include Sylvanus Tahir, Head, Legal and Prosecution Unit; and Buhari Dalhatu of the Cyber Crime Section of the EFCC.
The workshop was attended by financial crime reporters from the print, broadcast and social media.
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