EFCC chair reveals he declined N500m offer during mother’s funeral

.Bemoans support for corrupt individuals in Nigerians

Ola Olukoyede, executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said on Thursday that he declined offers worth about N500m from various individuals during his mother’s funeral in 2019.

According to him, the gift offers included cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and other high-level government officials while serving as secretary of the EFCC.

The EFCC chair spoke at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja on Thursday with the theme, ‘Ethics, Integrity, Corruption Risk Assessments and Anti-Corruption at National and Sub-National levels: Sustaining the fight against corruption in Nigeria.’

The event was organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre, Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, ICPC, and EFCC with the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

Reflecting on the situation, Olukoyede said he rejected those offers due to integrity concerns, voicing his concern about the potential consequences of depositing the cheques into his account, especially considering his role in investigating the individuals who had issued them.

This was as he called on Nigerians to refrain from offering any form of support to individuals facing prosecution for economic and financial crimes.

“I urge you that when you see people whom we are prosecuting and we have shown you the evidence, don’t carry placards, don’t join them to fight us, because you are contributing to the problem. If we must fight this cankerworm, then all of these must stop,” he stated.

He stressed the need for Nigerians to support leaders with integrity, vowing that his administration would continue the anti-corruption fight without fear or favor.

Several other speakers at the event echoed the call for a more aggressive anti-corruption stance.

Kola Shetima and Aminu Salihu of the MacArthur Foundation emphasised that protecting Nigeria’s resources is a shared responsibility.

“This country is our commonwealth, and we all have a stake in it. The fight against corruption is about the material conditions of the people, and we must all work together to achieve our goals,” they noted.

Garba Abari, who chaired the event, criticised the focus on politically exposed persons, arguing that corruption also thrives in the civil service and private sector.

“There’s so much corruption in public service and the banking sector. We need to pay attention to the local government level and ensure autonomy to curb corruption at the grassroots,” he said.

Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana, urged authorities to engage the grassroots, stressing that corruption cannot be tackled effectively without the involvement of the people.

“We must ensure that funds meant for the people are judiciously used. Citizens should be sensitised, carried along, and able to monitor their budgets. State governments should also establish anti-corruption agencies to checkmate corruption at their level,” he suggested.

Akintunde Sawyerr, managing director of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, advocated for accountability and transparency, emphasising that prevention is the most effective anti-corruption strategy.

Shehu Abdullahi, former director-general of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering (GIABA), argued that corruption robs people of their freedom and emboldens corrupt officials.

He called for an evidence-based, transparent, and non-partisan approach to fighting graft.

“Youths are the architects of a world without corruption. They must have the courage to demand it,” Abdullahi stated.

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