By Luminous Jannamike
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had justified the confidence reposed in it, citing its convictions, asset recoveries and other achievements in the fight against corruption.
The President spoke in Awka, Anambra State, at the commissioning of the EFCC’s new Zonal Directorate, as the anti-graft agency moved to deepen its presence in the South-East and place greater emphasis on preventing corruption.
Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Tinubu said the EFCC’s work was consistent with his administration’s drive to reform the economy and promote good governance.
“Supporting the EFCC is not particularly difficult. The agency has consistently demonstrated that the confidence reposed on it is well founded. Without mincing words, the evidential proof of the EFCC’s success speaks loudly in convictions secured, assets and properties recovered,” he said.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the new directorate would combine law enforcement with measures aimed at stopping economic and financial crimes before they occur.
“This new Directorate will not only enforce the law professionally and courageously, but it will also be high on corruption prevention,” Olukoyede said, adding that it would engage government institutions, businesses, schools, markets, religious and traditional institutions and communities.
He also urged Nigerians to use the commission’s whistleblowing channels responsibly, warning against turning petitions into tools for settling personal scores.
“However, whistleblowing must be responsible and based on facts. It must not become an instrument for settling scores,” he said.
Olukoyede said the establishment of the Awka directorate was necessary to protect the economic activities of Anambra and Imo from fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, investment fraud and diversion of public resources.
“Therefore, our coming to Awka is beyond geographical expansion. It is about taking the mandate of the EFCC closer to the people and closer to the economic activities we are meant to protect,” he said.
He disclosed that the EFCC secured 10,872 convictions from 14,476 cases filed between October 2023 and July 2026, while also recording recoveries in naira, dollars, pounds and euros.
Governors Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra and Hope Uzodinma of Imo pledged support for the new directorate and the EFCC under Olukoyede’s leadership.
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