Olukoyede: EFCC’s anti-graft war not personal — it’s about accountability

Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says there is no witch-hunt in the agency’s fight against corruption.

Addressing representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Monday, Olukoyede said the fight against corruption should be a collective responsibility.

“It is a collective responsibility to fight corruption in Nigeria. EFCC will not relent. Whatever it is going to cost us to fight this fight, we’ll fight it,” he said.

“There is nothing personal about what we are doing. What we are saying is that we must be able to hold people accountable.

“If you have spent eight years, four years or one year in office, by the time you come out as a public officer, the position you held was a position of trust. 

“So when you finish, come. We want you to explain how you spent our common wealth while you were in office. So there is nothing personal and we are not after any individual. We are just pursuing our mandate.”

The EFCC chairman also encouraged students to shun internet fraud popularly called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’.

“It is important to understand the menace that this cybercrime is causing in Nigeria,” he said.

“Two weeks ago, I travelled to a country somewhere in South Asia for a financial action task force meeting and I wanted to pay for my hotel. The white guy in front of me brought out his card and made payment.

“When it was my turn, I gave them my own card. They slotted it in, made payment and the lady went to another office to make a photocopy of my card.”

He said when he asked why, she said it was because he was using a Nigerian card.

“She said they have a standing instruction that any time they see a Nigerian card, they must suspect and make photocopies,” he added. 

“She knew who I was as the chairman of an anti-corruption agency in Nigeria. These are the issues we face. This is the kind of shame we are exposed to.”

Olukoyede also encouraged students to take advantage of the student loan policy, adding that the commission will ensure the funds are properly managed.

“The essence of that is that you don’t have to do Yahoo Yahoo for you to be able to pay your school fees,” he said.

“I’m going to invite the DG of that project to come to my office. We will sit down and ensure that the money allocated to that project goes to the right people and that they don’t destroy that project.”