EFCC chairman orders operatives to declare assets

Employees of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were instructed to promptly disclose their assets in accordance with civil service rules and procedures by the commission’s chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede.

He issued the order on Tuesday at the commission’s Abuja headquarters, speaking to senior EFCC employees and emphasising the need for individuals at the forefront of the fight against corruption to be above the board.

Olukoyede gave the staff members of the commission assurances that upholding the law would be a core value and guiding principle of the organisation.

“The EFCC is a creation of the law. We must do our job in line with the dictates of the law. This is a standard international practice and we would ensure that it is our established norm.” He spoke.

“All of us are going to declare our assets, from Level 17 downward. I did mine, so there’s no reason for anyone to be afraid to do the same. Even the commission’s secretary did; you all may have done it in the past, but there’s a need for all of us to do it again. We will declare our assets, and we are going to investigate them.

Read also: Is Olukoyede legally qualified to lead EFCC? Court to decide

“We must live above board by setting the pace with good examples. As anti-corruption fighters, our hands must be clean, so we must declare our assets,” the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale quoted Olukoyede as saying in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday.

He further urged the operatives to act professionally, but he also encouraged commission staff members to focus particularly on the foundation of combating financial and economic crimes. He pointed out that these efforts should be directed towards expanding the country’s economy, establishing a proper environment for increased investment, and fortifying the economy’s productive base.

Olukoyede added, “We must do our job to add value to the nation. Investors must have confidence in the economy and we must help the country to be governed in an accountable and transparent manner. By doing this, it will offer us a new direction to redeem the image of the nation.

“Please, I beg you, let our hands be clean and put our house in order. Some may not like me, but I am going to do the right thing and treat everybody equally irrespective of religion, ethnicity and region.”

He assured the staff members of a better welfare package, enhanced training and equal opportunities to ensure higher productivity. He warned “those compromising their works and position to desist from such conduct, as dire consequences await every unsavoury tendency.”