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The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, on Wednesday, September 24, 2025,
reiterated the need for collaboration and deep understanding of issues involved
in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption as
potent tools of achieving sustainable success in the fight.
He stated this in Abuja at the 2025 EFCC- Media/Civil
Society Organisation’s Capacity- Building Workshop, held at the EFCC
Headquarters, Jabi Abuja.
The Chairman, who was represented by the Director,
Public Affairs Directorate of the Commission, Commander of the EFCC, CE Wilson
Uwujaren stated that the Commission placed strong values and significance
in building collaboration and mutual understanding with all stakeholders.
“The media and civil society organisations, no doubt,
are very critical to the work of fighting every form of economic and financial
crimes and other acts of corruption. The nexus between the media and civil
society organisations is very strong, they are like the right ear and left ear
of the same horse, they have a shared mandate exposing shadiness and integrity
deficit in individuals and groups across the country. This is why the
Commission considered it imperative to bring together these stakeholders in a
capacity-building workshop”, he said.
Speaking further, Olukoyede stated that the issues for
discussion revolved around operational, legal, and the media adding that
understanding the key issues will impact public appreciation of the work of the
EFCC.
“Equally important is the role of the media and CSOs
in driving preventive framework of the commission, it is believed that
discussion of all these germane topics will broaden and widen their
understanding and public grasp of how they are being tackled by the EFCC”
“Our commitment to stakeholders’ engagement is
absolute. Public ownership of the fight against corruption remains the most
potent and enduring modality of driving and sustaining the fight. Closely
related to this is the enlightened conversation on salient issues involved in
the anti-graft fight”, he stressed.
He emphasized that the EFCC was focused on moving the
nation forward. “Without fear or favour and in taking such a route, corruption
is bound to fight back, by whatever means the fight back is designed, we cannot
be rattled or intimidated as far as we are concerned, right is might, and is
often said, conscience is an open wound, only the truth can heal”
Speaking on the challenges of prosecuting cases of
economic and financial crimes
in Nigeria, a Director in the legal and prosecution
department, Commander of the EFCC, CE Dr. Ben Ubi stated that the efforts
of the EFCC Chairman and the Commission’s officers have over the years helped
remove the name of Nigeria from the list of non-cooperating countries and
territories of the Financial Action Task Force, FATF, showing that if not
for the painstaking efforts of the EFCC, the country would have
long been blacklisted.
Speaking on cryptocurrency fraud and other emerging
financial crimes, an officer from the cybercrime Section of the Commission, Sam
Agbi Enahoro urged the stakeholders to stay away from engaging in any
business or online trade that may jeopardise their work and integrity. He
offered explanations on technicalities involved in crypto currency transactions
and pointed out how fraudulent dealings are creeping into the business.
He also cautioned the audience against unrealistic and jumbo offers, stressing
that “when it is too good to be true, please don’t do it”.
Speaking on the Role of Media, and Civil society
organisations in Driving the Preventive Framework of the Commission,
Spokesperson and Head, Media and Publicity Unit of the Commission, Deputy
Commander of the EFCC, DCE, Dele Oyewale urged the media and CSOs to join the
EFCC in driving those modalities. “As civil society organizations and media
professionals, how are we driving the preventive framework of the
anti-corruption fight? When the EFCC Chairman came in October 2023,
he unfolded the preventive modality of fighting corruption and to all intent
and purposes, across the world, it is the preventive framework that is more
potent, more socially beneficial in fighting corruption”, he said.
“If we wait until the money is stolen, the assets are
stolen and everything is stolen before we now embark on recovery drive, there
is no way you can recover all, but if there are modalities in place that will
safeguard the stealing of the money, the looting of the treasury or any other
thing that any fraudulent people may want to do, then we will be able to save
the society from all of these losses”, he said.
The Chief of Staff to the EFCC, CE Micheal
Nzekwe appreciated the effort of the media and civil society in playing vital
roles in the fight against economic and financial crimes. He also thanked
them for the support that they are giving to the EFCC.
“Nigeria is the greatest beneficiary of the work that
we all do and sometimes there can be pressures here and there, but in all of
that, always put the nation and EFCC first”, he said.
