By Opeyemi Adelakun
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has expressed concern over the persistent diversion of public resources, saying some government officials take money belonging to the country “every minute”.
Olukoyede spoke in Abuja during the 80th birthday celebration of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi.
The EFCC chairman disclosed that the commission receives more than 20,000 petitions concerning alleged corruption involving public officials annually.
He said the contents of some of the cases handled by the commission were disturbing, particularly those involving the alleged misuse of government funds and other national resources.
“I receive over 20,000 petitions in a year in respect to public corruption, all terrible. What is going on? Like every minute, public officers take money, and if you go through some of our case files you will weep.
“The way people take national resources and Nigerians are victims of these fraudulent activities. And we must come together for once in our lifetime and say no to the activities of some of our leaders,” he said.
Olukoyede said investigations by the commission had also exposed cases where individuals who appeared to have limited personal resources before entering public office later became linked to substantial wealth.
He said some officials allegedly move from having less than N100,000 in their accounts before assuming office to being linked to millions of dollars within a few years.
The EFCC chairman also alleged that some officials acquire large numbers of properties while still serving in government.
According to him, such developments raise serious questions about the sources of the wealth accumulated by public officers and the effectiveness of existing accountability mechanisms.
Olukoyede warned that the continued abuse of public resources was damaging the country’s development and said corruption remained a major obstacle to national progress.
He stressed that holding public office should come with a responsibility to account for decisions, expenditure and personal wealth acquired during a period of service.
The EFCC boss therefore called for greater transparency in public administration, insisting that public officials must be prepared to explain their actions and stewardship to Nigerians.
He said accountability should not be treated as an option in public service but as a fundamental requirement for anyone entrusted with government resources.
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