ABUJA, Nigeria — The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has raised fresh concerns over the scale of alleged corruption in Nigeria’s public sector, saying the commission receives more than 20,000 petitions relating to public corruption annually.
Olukoyede said some investigations conducted by the commission had uncovered cases involving public officials whose financial positions allegedly changed dramatically after assuming office.
He made the disclosure in Abuja at a ceremony marking the 80th birthday of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, reports Daily Trust.
According to the EFCC chairman, the volume and nature of corruption petitions received by the commission reflected the depth of the challenge confronting the country.
“I receive over 20,000 petitions in a year in respect to public corruption, all terrible. What is going on? Like every minute, public officers take money, and if you go through some of our case files you will weep,” Olukoyede said.
He said the alleged diversion of public resources affected Nigerians collectively and should not be regarded solely as a law enforcement matter.
“The way people take national resources, as Nigerians we’re victims of these fraudulent activities. And we must come together for once in our lifetime and say no to the activities of some of our leaders,” he said.
Olukoyede further disclosed that investigations by the commission had, in some instances, traced substantial naira and dollar assets to public servants who allegedly had relatively modest financial positions before assuming office.
He said some officials were allegedly linked to millions of dollars and naira after spending only three or four years in public office.
“Somebody will spend three to four years as a public servant, but before he got to office he had less than N100 thousand in his account. By the time he’s leaving, we were able to trace several millions of dollars and naira to him,” he said.
The EFCC chairman also alleged that some public officials had accumulated large property portfolios while in office.
“Some build 50 something houses, sometimes 200 houses. There’s no way a nation will develop with those kinds of people in power, no way,” he added.
Olukoyede said public officials must be prepared to account for their stewardship, stressing the importance of transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu, identified societal tolerance of corrupt practices and weaknesses in public institutions as factors sustaining corruption in the country.
“The major challenge of corruption in this country is that we tolerate the culture of corruption, that is why it is thriving. Secondly, we have systemic errors, our systems are weak,” Aliyu said.
He called for integrity education to begin from an early age, particularly in primary and secondary schools, arguing that younger Nigerians should be deliberately exposed to values that discourage corruption.
Aliyu also urged stakeholders to engage members of Generation Z and Generation Alpha on integrity and responsible citizenship.
“We need to tell them that we want them to imbibe the culture of integrity,” he said.
Olukoyede’s remarks come amid continuing investigations by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies into alleged financial crimes involving public officials.
The EFCC has consistently maintained that its mandate includes the investigation and prosecution of economic and financial crimes, while allegations against individuals remain subject to judicial determination.
The event was attended by members of the bench and bar, public officials, civil society organisations, academics and other stakeholders, with discussions focusing on the rule of law, public accountability and efforts to tackle corruption in Nigeria.
