The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has called on corps members and youths across the country to be innovation-driven, saying they should make the best use of the internet.
According to him, there are several alternatives to internet fraud and other acts of corruption, which could make them leaders and nation builders in the future.
He gave the charge in Lagos, on Thursday, August 7, 2025, while addressing corps members of Batch B, Stream 1, at the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Orientation Camp, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.
The EFCC’s Chairman also warned the youth to shun any act that could eventually make them to be labeled as ex-convicts. Represented by Babatunde Sulaiman, Head, Public Affairs, EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, he stressed that, “It is important for corps members to enlighten youths more on the implication of being ex-convicts. Over time, internet fraudsters are getting convicted in multiples and wearing tags of ex-convicts. This is a roadblock to future advancements. Many of these ex-convicts are young people. The implication of this is grave”.
Continuing, he explained that, “an ex-convict cannot hold any leadership or public office in future. Embassy officials across the world won’t grant visas to ex-convicts and no serious international or national enterprise can be run by those already jailed in any court of law. To this end, youths should be careful and steer clear of what may put their future on the line. Corruption can lead to conviction in several ways and youths should not be snared in such entanglement.”
At the NYSC camp in Kiama, Bayelsa State, Olukoyede, who spoke through Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC II, ASE II,Otagada Sunday Ogar on the topic: "Role of Corp Members in the Anti-corruption Fight, pointed out that every challenge around us today can be traced to the consequences of corruption.
"As young Nigerians, you can only shape tomorrow by changing today. The fight against internet crimes and other acts of corruption is a fight that cannot wait. It is a fight of today to make tomorrow greater… If we desire an open tomorrow, we must not close our prospects today. We must work to make things work", he said.
In Port Harcourt, at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Nounwa Gbam, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, the EFCC Chairman spoke through Deputy Superintendent of the EFCC, DSE James Adayilo Hosea and reiterated his warning against internet fraud, maintaining that the Commission will continue its professional posture to ensure that internet crimes are completely brought to its knees.
He also told corpers at the Orientation Camp in Iseyin, Oyo State, Ibadan, through Superintendent of the EFCC, SE Olumide Egbodofo That nothing short of deliberate efforts to stamp out corruption would help in tackling corrupt practices. “You need to be deliberate in rejecting corrupt practices through whistle blowing and working with the EFCC to spread the anti-corruption message”, he said.
Across all the Directorates of the Commission in Kano, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Enugu, Makurdi, Uyo and other locations, Olukoyede insisted that corruption should be frontally tackled with corps members serving as veritable foot soldiers.
Media & Publicity
August 7, 2025
