The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has decried the scale of corruption in the public sector, saying national resources are being taken by public officials almost continuously.
Olukoyede made the remarks in Abuja on Thursday while speaking at the 80th birthday celebration of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi.
The EFCC chairman disclosed that the commission receives more than 20,000 petitions concerning alleged corruption involving public officials every year.
He said the volume and nature of the allegations contained in the petitions were disturbing, adding that some of the commission’s case files revealed the extent to which public resources were allegedly abused.
“I receive over 20,000 petitions in a year in respect to public corruption, all terrible. What is going on? Like every minute, public officers take money, and if you go through some of our case files you will weep,” Olukoyede said.
He expressed concern that the alleged diversion of public resources had continued to affect ordinary Nigerians, urging citizens to collectively reject corrupt practices among public officials.
“The way people take national resources and Nigerians are victims of these fraudulent activities. And we must come together for once in our lifetime and say no to the activities of some of our leaders,” he added.
Olukoyede further disclosed that the commission had encountered cases involving public officials who allegedly assumed office with less than N100,000 in their accounts but were later found to have accumulated millions of dollars.
According to him, some officials also allegedly acquired hundreds of properties while still in public office, raising questions about the sources of their wealth.
The EFCC chairman described corruption as a major problem confronting the country and maintained that those entrusted with public responsibilities must be prepared to account for their actions.
He stressed that transparency and accountability must remain central to the conduct of public officials, particularly in the management of the nation’s resources.
