EFCC boss tasks council chairmen on grassroots accountability
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called for stronger accountability at the grassroots, saying anti-corruption enforcement must extend to the local government level.
Olukoyede spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the maiden Annual National Conference of Local Government Council Chairmen and Traditional Rulers Councils, where he said increased resources to local governments must translate into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
Represented by the Director of Public Affairs Department, Commander CE Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC chairman said the commission was committed to transparency and accountability at all tiers of government, particularly as more resources flow to the third tier.
“The EFCC is equally committed to transparency and accountability at the sub-national level and would want to see the improved resources flow to the third tier of government translate into improvement in the quality of lives of the grassroots population,” he said.
Olukoyede highlighted the use of recovered proceeds of crime for public investment, citing the Federal Government’s allocation of ₦50 billion each from recovered funds to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP), as well as the conversion of the forfeited former NOK University in Kaduna State into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia.
On national security, Olukoyede said economic crimes and security threats could no longer be treated separately, citing terrorist financing, illegal mining, cross-border cybercrime, money laundering and virtual-asset fraud. He said the EFCC’s specialised enforcement portfolio had recorded 920 cases and 212 convictions, with investigations and prosecutions ongoing.
The EFCC chairman said the commission had digitalised almost 60 per cent of its processes and operations while investing in the Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre and other investigative technologies. He also said the commission recorded recoveries exceeding ₦1.233 trillion between October 2023 and the period covered by its recent stewardship account, alongside $684.48 million, £373,905.78 and €9.34 million.
Olukoyede said recovery should not end with the seizure of assets, noting that about ₦661.32 billion and $492.37 million had been released to beneficiaries during the period under review. He added that the commission was strengthening its internal standards through new arrest and bail guidelines and conflict-of-interest safeguards.
