The Bishop of Anglican Communion Diocese of Makurdi, Rt. Rev. Dr. N. N. Inyom, on Tuesday, declared the church’s support for the efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in ridding the country of economic and financial crimes, including corruption.
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement, indicated that the cleric, who led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Makurdi Zonal Command of the Commission, also expressed the Anglican Communion’s willingness to collaborate with the Commission in fighting in the Church.
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“That Anglicans hold utmost respect for the pivotal role the Commission has been playing in safeguarding the financial integrity of our nation is not in doubt, your dedication to upholding the rule of law and combating economic and financial offences is truly commendable and has a positive impact on our society.
“…we are here to interact with you, seeking ways of collaboration in terms of trying to understand the working of the Commission better and how it can relate with the Church especially in terms of handling issues of sharp practices that result in malpractices and misappropriation, ” he said.
He further urged the Commission to intensify public enlightenment on the menace of economic and financial crimes to discourage would-be offenders, adding that the church itself is grappling with the menace of corruption within its fold.
“One of my greatest frustrations in ministry, as a minister of God, is that those whom we employ to assist us in overseeing resources end up defrauding the Church and carting away huge sums of money meant for development of the Church,” he said.
In his response, the Zonal Commander, ACE 1 Friday Ebelo thanked the Bishop for the visit and sought the counsel and prayers of the clergy to enable the country to win the war against the scourge of corruption, economic and financial crimes.
He noted the strategic position of the Church as the moral conscience of the society and called on its leaders “to speak to our leaders to do the right things”.
The Zonal Commander reiterated the commitment of the Commission to public enlightenment, emphasizing that EFCC currently have sensitization programmes for schools and an inter-faith programme designed to bring churches and mosques into the public enlightenment orbit of the Commission.