I rejected N500m during my mother’s burial – EFCC Chairman

• EFCC Chairman Olukoyede rejected N500 million in burial gifts from officials, emphasizing ethical leadership and integrity

• He highlighted transparency by disqualifying relatives from EFCC auctions, avoiding potential conflicts of interest and legal consequences

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, revealed that he had turned down offers totaling N500 million during his mother’s burial in Ekiti State.

He disclosed this Thursday at Abuja’s Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre’s 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) Conference.

The themed ‘Ethics, Integrity, Corruption Risk Assessments, and Anti-Corruption at National and Sub-National Levels in Nigeria: Sustaining the Fight Against Corruption,’ brought together key stakeholders to discuss corruption-related issues.

Olukoyede recounted that in 2019, when he was the EFCC Secretary, he arrived at his compound before the funeral and found 17 cows, including pregnant ones.

Later, his gatekeeper handed him a carton filled with cheques and bank drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and agency heads.

“I showed it to my wife, and she said, ‘Praise God.’ I asked, ‘Praise God for what?’ After counting, the total amount was close to N500 million,” he said.

He explained that he wrote letters returning all the cheques and drafts to their sources. While such gifts might be seen as traditional, he questioned whether it was ethical for him, as EFCC Secretary, to accept them.

“I held my mother’s burial in September 2019, and by July 2020, I was under investigation. Imagine if those cheques had been deposited into my account as traditional gifts.

Some of them came from directors, DGs, and ministers of agencies we were investigating. If my account had shown these deposits, how would I have explained it?” he asked.

Olukoyede emphasized that integrity requires going beyond expectations. He also rejected his brother-in-law’s and elder brother’s attempts to bid in an EFCC auction. As EFCC Secretary, he managed forfeited assets and ensured transparency in the auction process.

“My brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, applied. I shredded his application. When my elder brother asked about bidding, I reminded him that EFCC rules prohibited staff and immediate family members from participating,” he stated.

He noted that months later, an investigative panel was set up to review EFCC activities, including the auction he supervised in Port Harcourt.

“Had my brother-in-law’s name appeared among the auctioneers, I could be in jail today,” he added.

Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman of HEDA Resource Centre, highlighted the conference’s goal of addressing corruption and impunity and fostering integrity and accountability in governance.