By Nkechi Eze
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has urged Nigerian youths, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to be goal-oriented, embrace integrity, and actively contribute to the fight against economic and financial crimes in the country.
Olukoyede gave the charge on Thursday, October 2, 2025, while addressing corps members of Batch B, Stream 2 at various NYSC orientation camps across the country. Speaking in Lagos through Babatunde Sulaiman, Head of Public Affairs, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, EFCC, the EFCC Chairman called on the young Nigerians to make the best use of technology and the internet by deploying it for positive purposes rather than cybercrime.
“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,” he said.
He stressed the need for corps members to become whistleblowers in their environments, reminding them that corruption has long held Nigeria back from real development. “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,” he added.
Olukoyede further warned youths against indulging in fraudulent practices that could brand them as ex-convicts, pointing out the long-term implications on their future ambitions. According to him, “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.”
At the NYSC Orientation Camp in Udi, Enugu State, temporarily situated at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Academy, Olukoyede, represented by Chief Superintendent of the EFCC, Bashir Emmanuel Afanda, urged corps members to channel their energy into public enlightenment against corruption and economic crimes. “This is how to build a community of anti-corruption fighters and the surest way to move the nation forward,” he stated.
In Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Olukoyede, represented by DSE Sani Ismail and Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, Abubakar S. Muhammed, told corps members that there were legitimate and productive means of earning income outside of cybercrime. He reminded them that fraudulent practices not only destroy personal aspirations but also damage the collective future of the youth and society at large.
Similarly, at the Kaduna Orientation Camp, the EFCC Chairman, represented by CSE Nana Fatima Abubakar of the Public Affairs Department, Kaduna Zonal Directorate, charged corps members to use their talents and creativity positively, rather than channeling them into internet crimes. He reiterated that “there is no shortcut to wealth and fame,” stressing that only hard work and integrity could guarantee a secure future.
Across other NYSC camps in Ibadan, Kano, Ilorin, Makurdi, Maiduguri, Gombe, Port Harcourt, and several other states, Olukoyede’s message was consistently delivered: corps members should see themselves as the true leaders of tomorrow by embracing honesty, shunning crime, and taking the frontline in the national anti-corruption crusade.
By reinforcing these values nationwide, the EFCC Chairman underscored the Commission’s commitment to preventive measures in the fight against corruption, while reminding the youths that their generation must play a defining role in securing Nigeria’s future.
