By Nkechi Eze
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, emphasizes that public sector corruption is Nigeria’s most pressing issue, with procurement and contract fraud being the primary contributors, accounting for a staggering 90% of the country’s corruption and fraud problems.
Olukoyede revealed this during a meeting with the Bureau of Public Procurement’s (BPP) management team, led by Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, the newly-appointed Director General, at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters on Friday, January 17, 2025.
According to him, “In the EFCC, we handle both private and public sector fraud. And when it comes to the public sector, which is one of our major problems in Nigeria, we discovered that contract and procurement fraud takes more than 90 percent of the volume of public sector fraud. And if you look at it, they range from commingling, contract splitting and all forms of shenanigans all over the place.
“Infrastructure-wise and all other developmental problems are attributable to contract and procurement fraud. It lies with you and with me to make a change. If we can work together, we will be able to leave this country better than we met it”, he said.
Olukoyede further harped on the need for enhanced collaboration between the EFCC and the BPP in many areas, especially in project implementation and monitoring.
“So, I like your commitment, the new spirit you have brought into the agency. We are going to work together. We are going to collaborate for the sake of this country and for us to ensure that the 2025 budget is well implemented and executed. There is no hiding place for BPP. And there is no hiding from the EFCC. That’s the truth”.
Earlier in his remarks, Adedokun disclosed that the visit was to assure the EFCC and Nigerians that the Bureau under his leadership was on a mission for a rebirth. “We are here to reassure you and your team that we are committed to making your job easier. We are here to reassure the 220 million Nigerians that they can go to sleep when it comes to how procurement is being done. We want to see that the EFCC can trust our documents without having to doubt. Documents that you can trust in your decision-making, in your investigation about fraud-related issues and procurement. We are here because we want to be open in terms of what we do and how we do it. We want to give Nigerians the assurance that it’s no longer business as usual. And we have started,” he said.
He further disclosed that he was dedicated to deploying procurement as a tool for good governance in the country. “I want to see how we can get procurement to deliver good governance to Nigerians. This is a thing I would like to say to Nigerians that every kobo spent in any goods, works, and services was procured with value. This is a thing I want to say to Nigerians, that we may have made some mistakes in the past, but now we think that we are born again in a number of things.”
