The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede has assured that there would be no hiding place for the corrupt in Nigeria, given the political will of President Bola Tinubu to frontally tackle economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
He gave the assurance in Abuja on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, when the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN paid him a courtesy visit at the corporate headquarters of the Commission.
According to him, President Tinubu is offering the right atmosphere for anti-graft activities, both for the EFCC and ICPC and no Nigerian is immune to investigations for any corruption allegation.
“We believe that with the kind of President we have, who is ready and willing to do the right thing and from what we have seen in recent times and in the last 48 hours, it is clear that he has provided the political will and leadership and created the atmosphere for us to work.
“So, there is no hiding place for the corrupt. We must give our best; we must be committed and give the President the right support he needs.
“Nobody is too big to be investigated in this country. Once you are not playing according to the rules, we will investigate you,” he said.
He further noted that the engagement with the ICPC was sending the right signals to the entire country that the anti-corruption agencies are coming together and extending hands of comradeship and fellowship to each other with a mind to work together.
He recalled that there was a subsisting Memorandum of Understanding, MoU between both agencies.
“Today, the MoU is in place. It is going to be a living document that we can review from time to time to accommodate mutual interest,” the EFCC chairman said.
Olukoyede pointed out that the enormity of cases both agencies are handling justified their independent existence.
“Even with five anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, we hardly can do more than scratch the surface. One anti-corruption agency in the US has a staff strength of about thirty-five thousand.
“I am not sure the staff strength of the EFCC and the ICPC put together will be up to seven thousand. Though people have been talking of duplication of responsibilities between the EFCC and ICPC, I don’t see it from that perspective.
“I see it from the perspective of the enormity of the work on our hands. When you are limited by staff strength and resources and there is still so much to be done, it becomes important to work together and see if we can move the country forward,” he said.
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