Olukoyede Charges Corps Members to Be Goal-Oriented

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has called on youths across the country to be growth-oriented, make the best use of technology, particularly the internet and serve as whistle blowers to tackle the menace of economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.

He gave the charge in Lagos, on Thursday, October 2, 2025, while addressing corps members of Batch B, Stream 2, at the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, orientation camp, Iyana Ipaja..

Olukoyede, who spoke through Babatunde Sulaiman, Head, Public Affairs, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, EFCC, said: “Be goal-oriented. Don’t cover up criminal tendencies and fraudulent practices around you. Expose them. Offer useful intelligence to the EFCC through the Eagle Eye App, which is the EFCC’s official digital fraud reporting App. The application is open to everyone that wishes to offer useful information to the Commission. As young Nigerians, you will surely find it useful and engaging.”

While urging them to be whistleblowers in their environments, the EFCC’s boss stressed that “we must work to make things work. We must accept the fact that corruption has brought us down the ladder of development and should do something definitive and drastic about changing the narratives.”

The EFCC’s Chairman also warned youths to shun any act that could eventually make them to be labeled as ex-convicts.

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He said: “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.

“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.”

In Enugu, at the temporary Orientation Camp of the NYSC currently situated at the Federal Road Service Cops, FRSC Academy in Udi local Government Area of Enugu State, Olukoyede, who spoke through the Head of Counter Terrorism and General Investigation Section of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Commission, Chief Superintendent of the EFCC, CSE Bashir Emmanuel Afanda, enjoined corps members to invest their energy on public enlightenment against corruption. He charged them to use their education and insight to move everyone in their locality against economic and financial crimes. “This is how to build a community of anti-corruption fighters and the surest way to move the nation forward”, he said..

In Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, the EFCC’s boss emphasized that there are legitimate and productive means of earning income outside of cybercrimes, stressing that fraudulent activities only cause harm to the youth, their future, and the community at large. He further warned young people to distance themselves from all forms of fraudulent practices that could implicate them and derail their aspirations.

Represented by DSE Sani Ismail and Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, ASE 1 Abubakar S. Muhammed, Olukoyede pointed out that the NYSC year provides corps members with a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to national development.

Also in Kaduna, Olukoyede charged corps members to contribute positively towards the fight against the scourge of economic and financial crimes other than channeling their strength and talent towards internet and cybercrimes.

He gave the message through CSE Nana Fatima Abubakar of the Public Affairs Department of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC at the NYSC camp.

Olukoyede while aligning with the notion that the youths are potential leaders of tomorrow urged them to embrace hard work and shun crime as “There is no shortcut to wealth and fame” urging the youths to lead the way against corruption if they truly want to secure the future ahead of them.

Similar messages were given to youths in Ibadan, Kano, Ilorin, Makurdi, Maiduguri, Gombe, Port Harcourt and other locations across the country.