By Nkechi Eze
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has issued a passionate and urgent call to Nigerian youths serving under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), urging them to take a frontline role in the fight against corruption, internet fraud, and economic crimes across the country.
In an official signed statement released by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the Chairman gave the charge on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, while addressing Batch A Stream II corps members in their various orientation camps nationwide.
Delivering a lecture on the theme “The Role of Corps Members in the Anti-Corruption Fight” on behalf of the EFCC Chairman at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Nonwa Gbam, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC II, Otagada Sunday Ogar, described corruption as a war against the future of the Nigerian youth. He urged corps members to resist the temptation of internet fraud and quick wealth, stressing that the consequences of being convicted are grave and far-reaching.
“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,” Olukoyede warned. “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.”
The EFCC boss further charged the corps members to actively participate in public enlightenment campaigns against corruption in their host communities. “In your places of primary assignment, invest your time and energy on public enlightenment against corruption. Let the whole nation know that every Nigerian is a stakeholder in the fight against corruption. Use your education and insight to move everyone in your 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 Bayelsa State, during a parallel session at the Kiama Orientation Camp, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC II, Cynthia Chiamaka Okoye, speaking on behalf of the EFCC Chairman, urged corps members to take up the role of whistleblowers by utilizing the EFCC’s digital reporting tool, the Eagle Eye App, to report suspicious or fraudulent activities in their environments.
“I also wish to admonish you all to be ready to serve as whistleblowers in your various environments. 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. You will surely find it useful and engaging,” she said.
Similarly, in the Yikpata NYSC Orientation Camp in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, the EFCC Chairman, represented by Superintendent SE Gbenga Adewoye, reiterated the importance of corps members embracing anti-corruption advocacy. He encouraged them to take ownership of the fight against financial crimes by engaging their host communities in public sensitization and reporting misconduct through the Eagle Eye App.
“When you see something, say something and the EFCC will do something,” he emphasized.
Highlighting the NYSC service year as a vital platform for nation-building, Olukoyede called on corps members to embrace this period as an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to national development by championing the anti-corruption cause. He noted that Nigeria is at a critical juncture where youth participation in the anti-corruption campaign is both necessary and urgent.
“There are alternatives to internet fraud and other acts of corruption and these alternatives are what will make you leaders and nation builders,” he advised. He further urged the youth to be innovation-driven and forward-thinking, using their skills to create legitimate opportunities rather than engaging in illegal activities that endanger their future.
At the NYSC Orientation Camp in Awgu, Enugu State, Olukoyede’s message was delivered by Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE II), Adaora Asabe Oragudosi, Head of the Tax Fraud Section at the Enugu Zonal Directorate. She emphasized that the fight against corruption is imperative for Nigeria’s future, noting that the country’s development has been severely impeded by systemic 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. Owing to the scourge of corruption, our national ecosystem is extremely burdened. We are encompassed on all sides by challenges of growth and development,” she said.
She encouraged the corps members to see their NYSC year as a rare and valuable chance to become light bearers for the country’s future and to play an active role in restoring national integrity.
In Okada, Edo State, the EFCC Chairman addressed corps members through ACE I Williams Oseghale, Head of the Public Affairs Department at the Benin Zonal Directorate. He emphasized that young Nigerians must not be spectators but active participants in the anti-corruption struggle. Describing the youth as the worst victims of corruption’s consequences, he urged them to take a stand as anti-corruption crusaders and enlighten their host communities on the dangers and costs of internet fraud.
Olukoyede expressed deep concern over the growing involvement of young people in cybercrimes and financial offences, warning that such trends threaten not only individual futures but also national stability and global reputation.
Across all NYSC orientation camps where the message was delivered, the EFCC Chairman consistently encouraged corps members to uphold integrity, embrace responsibility, and act as change agents in their immediate environments.
He concluded by reaffirming that corruption, in all its forms, is a national threat that demands collective effort to eradicate, and the youth, Nigeria’s most potent force for change must lead the charge.
