That the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is now acting as the conscience of the nation and thus serving as a restraint against acts of impunity and criminality is something to be proud of, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has said.

NLNG’s Managing Director, Dr. Philip Mshelbila said this on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 when he led the company’s management team on a courtesy visit to the EFCC corporate headquarters in the FCT Abuja.

Managing Director, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), Dr Philip Mshelbila (left) addressing his host, the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede (right) during the visit.

He expressed satisfaction and confidence in the leadership of the EFCC, assuring that he is proud of its Executive Chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede, and his team, asserting that EFCC boss has inspired hope in Nigerians through his handling of anti-corruption operations, urging him to sustain the tempo he has generated in that regard.

“We know that our country is where it is because things are often done the way that they should not be done. And so when there is an organization that can act as a conscience of the country, it is something that we are very proud of.”

“We are proud of you, the Executive Chairman; we are proud of your team and we pray that you continue in doing all that you have been doing and show forth the light even when there is darkness all over the country.”

He noted that integrity was a common denominator in both the EFCC and the NLNG, thus making the Commission a natural choice for collaboration and partnership with NLNG.

“One of the reasons for the courtesy visit is because of the very nature of this organization. This is one of the organizations that upholds integrity and transparency. This organization represents to us integrity in Nigeria.

“And you may not understand why that is crucial to us in NLNG. We have what we call core values. Our core values are made up of a number of things which include safety. And after safety which means being alive to do the work, it is integrity.”

“Integrity is the number two core value that we have as a company and we uphold it seriously. So when we see an organization that stands for nothing but integrity it becomes something that appeals to us as a company and also as Nigerians because integrity is something that we crave for.”

The NLNG chief executive pledged the support of his company to aid the work of the Commission, expressing the hope that relationship between both organizations would be an enduring and mutually beneficial one going forward.

“We hope that the relationship that we are establishing today would be a lasting and enduring one.”

Responding, Chairman of the EFCC, OlanipekunOlukoyede expressed appreciation for the NLNG’s initiative of reaching out, assuring the delegation of the Commission’s willingness and preparedness to work with the company in the interest of the anti-corruption fight.

“We will look into your books when we have to, but it is important for us to work together. It is important for us to synergize and take it to the next level. Our mandate is to prevent corruption and financial crimes and we are committed to the work,” he said.

The EFCC boss, who further noted that tackling the country’s systemic rot was foundational in winning the anti-corruption war, stated that while enforcement remained crucial in the work of the Commission, prevention has been given priority by his leadership.

“I have set up a Directorate of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control (FRAC). We will go into MDAs to monitor project execution, to track money and they are cooperating with us. Anything that filters out, we will run after it and see what we can recover. In the next one year Nigerians will see the impact of the new measures that we have put in place”.