From right, Mr Ebelo Friday, EFCC Ibadan Zonal Director; Prof. Eyitope Ogungbenro Ogunbodede, OAU VC and others

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has charged Nigerian youths to stay away from criminal acts in order not to fall into the raging hand of the law.

Magu, who gave this admonition at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife on Friday, November 8, 2019, while delivering the keynote address at the 2019 Symposium of the National Association of Philosophy Students, NAPS, OAU branch further advised the youths to patiently follow their dream through to success.

Speaking through the Ibadan Zonal Head of the commission, Friday Ebelo, Magu urged the students to take their studies seriously and always look inwards to discover and nurture their talents to maturity stressing that with diligence and persistence, success was sure for them.

The EFCC boss cautioned them against joining the band wagon of the quest to ‘blow’ – the modern slang that depicts desperation for quick wealth, insisting that such mental state could push them into committing crimes which may in turn cut short their dreams.

“At the individual level, every youth must shun all temptations to be corrupt or be corrupted by any means. They must realise that the only way to success is hard work. The fast way only leads to destruction. Grow, don’t blow! An attempt to sacrifice steady growth on the altar of a ‘blowing success’ is an invitation to self-destruct”, he noted.

OAU Students

While lamenting the disturbing trend in the involvement of the Nigerian youth in internet-related crimes, Magu challenged them to re-direct their energy into positive activities that would benefit them and the Nigerian nation.

He said the EFCC is doing its best to ensure that the exceptional talents of the Nigerian youths are properly harnessed and put into appropriate use in the nation building efforts.

In his remark, the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede lauded the efforts of the anti-graft agency in ridding the Nigerian society of economic and financial crimes.

He assured that the university would at a later date organise the students in a larger scale to provide an avenue through which the commission would better and more effectively deliver its anti-corruption message to members of the OAU community.