You Have Justified My Confidence in You, Tinubu Tells EFCC

By Vivian Okejeme

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has applauded the efforts and performance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country, stressing that the commission has justified the confidence reposed in it.

He gave the commendation on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Awka, Anambra State, at the commissioning of a new Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.

The President said there was clear evidence of the commission’s success in securing convictions, recovering assets and recording other landmark achievements.

Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Tinubu said: “Supporting the EFCC is not particularly difficult. The agency has consistently demonstrated that the confidence reposed in it is well-founded. Without mincing words, the evidence of the EFCC’s success speaks loudly in convictions secured, assets and properties recovered.”

In a statement signed by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity, Tinubu affirmed that the strides of the commission were in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.

“When we came in three years ago, I highlighted nine major focal areas of my administration, two of which are reforming the economy for sustained and inclusive growth and promoting good governance. The anti-graft agency complements this agenda as it is focused on accountability, transparency and the appropriate deployment of resources,” he said.

At the commissioning, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede, restated the commission’s commitment to preventive measures in tackling economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption in the country.

According to him, the commission will continue to focus on making corrupt practices difficult by blocking avenues through which they may occur.

“This new Directorate will not only enforce the law professionally and courageously, it will also place a high priority on corruption prevention. It will engage government institutions, businesses, financial institutions, professional bodies, schools, markets, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies and communities.

“It will educate stakeholders, build relationships and mobilise the people to take ownership of the fight against all forms of corrupt practices in the zone,” he said.

Olukoyede assured Nigerians that the EFCC would not relent in the pursuit of its mandate, recalling the achievements of the commission in the last 34 months and describing them as impressive.

“The pursuit of our mandate has been our dominant engagement, and in the past few years, we have made impressive progress. Between October 2023 and July 2026, the commission received 49,673 petitions, investigated 39,615 cases, filed 14,476 cases in court and secured 10,872 convictions. This gives a conviction-to-filing ratio of 75.1 per cent.

“In the first half of 2026 alone, we recorded 1,370 convictions from 1,889 filings. The commission also recorded recoveries of N1,233,612,040,411.11, $684,478,457.32, £373,905.78 and €9,343,803.66, in addition to recoveries in other currencies,” he said.

He noted that, at the institutional level, the commission had undertaken major reforms that were yielding positive results, with significant improvements in the agency’s processes and procedures.

According to him, the reforms partly explain the impact the EFCC has made and will continue to make across various areas of law enforcement.

“Reforms that have strengthened the commission during the period include new guidelines on arrest and bail, a review of sting operations, the establishment of the Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, the Security Department, the Immigration and Visa Section and the Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre,” he said.

While urging residents of Anambra State to embrace responsible whistleblowing, the EFCC chairman said the commission had established channels through which members of the public could submit petitions and provide information.

He noted that the commission’s Eagle Eye App allows citizens to provide details of suspected wrongdoing while making the provision of an informant’s personal details optional.

“However, whistleblowing must be responsible and based on facts. It must not become an instrument for settling scores,” he said.

Olukoyede said Anambra and Imo states deserved an effective and responsive institutional presence because they were renowned for enterprise, innovation, commerce and an extraordinary culture of industry.

He added that legitimate economic activities in the states must be protected from fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, investment fraud, diversion of public resources and other forms of economic and financial crimes.

“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.

In their separate remarks, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and his Imo State counterpart, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, expressed satisfaction with the activities and management of the EFCC under Olukoyede’s leadership.

They pledged their support for the commission as it opened a new Zonal Directorate to strengthen its operations in the area.

The commissioning of the new Directorate attracted a large turnout of dignitaries and stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly, representatives of civil society organisations, community leaders, students and members of the media.