The declaration of assets is critical to fighting corruption in the country, Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has told his staff.
The EFCC boss said it’s in line with the agency’s employees to make their assets public, stressing that it’s part of international best practices.
A statement by EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, quoted Olukoyede as warning staff that corrupt practices will not be allowed under him.
The commission’s boss also warned corrupt staff to desist, stressing that “dire consequences” await those caught in the act, adding that the country must show to investors that it prepared to fight graft.
Olukoyede gave the order on Tuesday at the commission’s head office in Abuja, the nation’s capital, the first major step he has taken since he was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said the order is in line with the civil service regulations and procedures which require public officials to declare their assets.
According to him, “The EFCC is a creation of the law. We must do our job in line with the dictates of the law. This is standard international practice and we would ensure that it is our established norm.
“All of us are going to declare our assets; from level 17, downwards. I did mine, so there’s no reason for anyone to be afraid to do the same. Even the commission’s secretary did. You all may also have done it in the past, but there’s a need for all of us to do it again.
“We will declare our assets, and we are going to investigate it. We must live above board by setting the pace with good examples. As anti-corruption fighters, our hands must be clean, so we must declare our assets
“Investors must have confidence in the economy and we must help the country to be governed in an accountable and transparent manner. By doing this, it will offer us a new direction to redeem the image of the nation.
“Please, I beg you, let our hands be clean and put our house in order. Some may not like me, but I am going to do the right thing and treat everybody equally, irrespective of religion, ethnicity and region.”
The EFCC boss’ directive comes amidst suggestions among Nigerians that the EFCC is one of the most corrupt government agencies in the country because it’s widely believed that some of its employees have wrongly enriched themselves from assets seized by the agency.
The immediate past chairman of the agency, Abudulrasheed Bawa was accused of disposing of some assets seized by the agency, apart from serious corrupt practices under his watch.
Bawa who was sacked by President Tinubu in June, has not been charged but is currently in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Meanwhile, not a few Nigerians have demanded that President Tinubu and his vice, Kassim Shettima declare their assets, to show that they are serious of combating corruption.
The late President Umaru Yar’adua was the only Nigerian president who made his assets public while in office.
