The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has described corruption as a profound moral challenge undermining Nigeria’s pursuit of shared prosperity.
Olukoyede spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), where an Inter-Faith Manual designed to enlist religious leaders in the fight against corruption was unveiled.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, unveiled the manual at the meeting themed, “Shared Sacred Flourishing in Nigeria.”
Olukoyede said financial crimes had no religious or ethnic identity, stressing that Christians and Muslims suffer equally when public resources are mismanaged or stolen.
According to him, Nigeria’s religious diversity should not become a source of division but should provide a platform for promoting peace, justice, human dignity and national development.
“We are a deeply religious people. Our churches and mosques are full. Yet, we must have the courage to ask ourselves: has the depth of our religious profession been sufficiently reflected in the integrity of our public and economic life?” he asked.
The EFCC chairman said corruption and other economic crimes directly affect the conditions necessary for citizens to live productive and dignified lives.
“When money meant for a hospital is stolen, the offence may be recorded as corruption, but its consequence may be a patient who cannot receive treatment.
“When education funds are diverted, the financial crime becomes a child without opportunity. When pension funds are stolen, corruption becomes an elderly Nigerian deprived of dignity after a lifetime of service,” he said.
Olukoyede said corruption effectively transfers resources meant for the public into private hands, making the EFCC’s responsibility central to protecting Nigeria’s commonwealth.
He explained that the commission had strengthened its engagement with religious leaders through its Inter-Faith framework because neither Christianity nor Islam condones corruption or fraudulent conduct.
According to him, the newly developed Inter-Faith Manual addresses topical anti-corruption issues that religious leaders can incorporate into sermons and teachings.
“The EFCC believes that financial crime has no religion. Corruption has no tribe. Fraud does not become Christian or Muslim because of the identity of the person accused of committing it,” he said.
Olukoyede urged Nigerians not to interpret anti-corruption investigations through religious or ethnic lenses.
“When public money is stolen, both Christians and Muslims suffer. A badly equipped hospital does not first ask a dying patient where he worships. A collapsed road does not distinguish between a Christian traveller and a Muslim traveller,” he added.
He also stressed the role of faith-based organisations in preventing corruption by shaping the character and values of their members.
“The EFCC can investigate a person’s conduct. Faith communities can influence that person’s character. We can prosecute fraud. Religious teaching can cultivate honesty. We can punish corruption after the event. Faith can help prevent it before it begins,” Olukoyede said.
He challenged religious leaders to help restore respect for honest living, warning against a culture in which unexplained wealth is celebrated without questions about its source.
Olukoyede said young Nigerians should be taught that “integrity is not foolishness; honest labour is not failure; and wealth without accountability is not a definition of success.”
He added that prevention had become central to the EFCC’s anti-corruption strategy, noting that the effectiveness of the fight against graft should not be measured solely by the number of arrests.
“The most successful anti-corruption system is not the one that makes the greatest number of arrests. It is one that progressively reduces the opportunity and incentive for corruption to occur,” he said.
Olukoyede said the manual was developed with contributions from experienced Christian and Muslim religious leaders and urged faith leaders to use it in teaching their congregations about integrity and accountability.
Unveiling the manual, Akume urged religious and traditional leaders to promote peace, tolerance and national unity.
“We must refuse to allow these agents of darkness to use their cruelty to stoke religious or ethnic divisions by reminding our congregations that violence is a crime against faith itself,” Akume said.
He also urged community leaders to intervene early in disputes to prevent them from escalating into violence and to resist attempts by politicians to exploit religious or ethnic differences.
“When politicians seek to fan the flames of disunity, intervene with firmness and clarity,” the SGF said.
NIREC Executive Secretary, Prof. Cornelius Omonokhua, meanwhile, called on the EFCC to extend its anti-corruption scrutiny to religious leaders who allegedly exploit religion for political or financial purposes.
He urged the commission to investigate religious leaders who engage in hate preaching or turn churches and mosques into platforms for partisan political activities.
The meeting was attended by the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, Omonokhua and other religious leaders.
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