To alleviate the strain on the local currency, the EFCC has formed a specialized team comprising 7,000 individuals across its 14 zonal commands. This team aims to take decisive action against individuals involved in illegal activities pertaining to the trade of dollars.
The EFCC has extended invitations to private universities and other tertiary institutions that accept foreign currencies, instead of the Nigerian naira, for a briefing. During the briefing, these institutions were educated about the importance of recognizing the naira as the only legal tender in Nigeria.
In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, Dele Oyewale, who speaks on behalf of the anti-corruption agency, announced that the commission has requested the presence of the owners of private universities and other educational institutions that charge tuition fees in dollars.
Oyewale said, “The EFCC has raised a special task force in all its zonal commands for the enforcement of extant laws against currency mutilation and dollarization of the economy.
“The taskforce, inaugurated by the Executive Chairman of the commission, Ola Olukoyede, was raised to protect the economy from abuses, leakages and distortions exposing it to instability and disruption
“Already, the commission has made some arrests of perpetrators of issuance of invoices in dollars and mutilation of the naira in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
“Also, proprietors of private universities and other institutions of higher learning charging fees in dollars have been invited by the Commission.
“The commission is committed to the enforcement of all laws in place for the reflation and stimulation of the economy.”