…as Olukoyede Calls for a borderless west african front in the fight against corruption
By Nkechi Eze
As West Africa marks five decades of regional integration under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the continent’s unrelenting struggle against corruption and illicit financial flows took centre stage once again in Abuja, where heads of anti-corruption agencies, policymakers, and regional stakeholders gathered for the 7th Annual General Assembly of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA).
Hosted at the ECOWAS Secretariat, the Assembly convened at a time when the region continues to grapple with the twin burdens of governance deficits and economic sabotage arising from corruption, illegal resource extraction, and illicit capital flight. Against this backdrop, Nigeria long regarded as a strategic leader in West Africa’s anti-corruption movement played host to a high-powered gathering aimed at forging new pathways for cooperation, asset recovery, and shared accountability.
The meeting, themed “Strengthening Regional Collaboration for Asset Recovery and Exchange of Information,” brought together delegates from across the 15 ECOWAS member states, development partners, and representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), and International IDEA, among others. It provided a platform for member institutions to take stock of regional efforts, strengthen legal frameworks, and reaffirm their collective commitment to transparency, integrity, and sustainable development.
It was against this richly symbolic backdrop at the intersection of ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary and a renewed global call for accountability that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, delivered powerful messages that underscored the urgency of cross-border cooperation and the moral imperative to reclaim the region’s stolen wealth.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its affiliated institutions to unite in combating corruption, illicit financial flows, and the theft of mineral resources across the region, describing such crimes as major threats to peace, security, and sustainable development.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, at the opening of the 7th Annual General Assembly of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) held at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja, President Tinubu urged the regional body to take bold steps toward criminalizing resource theft at the international level.
According to him, illicit extraction of Africa’s natural wealth has deprived the continent of immense revenue that could have transformed education, healthcare, and infrastructure. He therefore called on ECOWAS to make resource theft a transnational crime under international law, emphasizing that no single nation can effectively fight corruption in isolation.
He stated, “Corruption and resource theft are global problems that require a coordinated global response. ECOWAS must champion the cause of declaring the illegal exploitation of Africa’s mineral and natural wealth an international crime. We cannot continue to allow the plundering of our collective heritage by individuals and entities that undermine our sovereignty and development.”
President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to the anti-corruption agenda, noting that his administration has prioritized institutional reform, fiscal discipline, and transparency in governance. “We will continue to work closely with our regional counterparts to ensure that anti-corruption institutions are strengthened and that those who profit from illicit financial flows are held accountable,” he added.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, emphasized the importance of a “borderless West African front” against corruption, calling for enhanced synergy, intelligence sharing, and coordinated enforcement among regional agencies.
Olukoyede noted that corruption in one ECOWAS country often reverberates across others due to porous borders and shared economic systems. He therefore called for a collective regional mechanism to trace, recover, and repatriate stolen assets, adding that the EFCC is ready to lead collaborative frameworks for real-time data exchange and joint investigations.
“We cannot win this fight alone. Corruption, money laundering, and illicit financial flows are borderless crimes. Our response must also be borderless. Through NACIWA, we must deepen cooperation in intelligence sharing, joint operations, and capacity building to strengthen our institutions.” He said.
The EFCC boss also disclosed that Nigeria had intensified its efforts in asset recovery and accountability reforms under President Tinubu’s administration, stressing that the renewed political will has given anti-graft institutions greater leverage to act decisively against economic crimes.
He further urged ECOWAS member states to integrate anti-corruption education into national curriculums, arguing that the moral reorientation of citizens was key to changing the culture of corruption. “We must not only punish corruption but also prevent it through education, ethics, and institutional integrity,” he added.
The event attracted key representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, UNODC, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and heads of anti-corruption agencies from across the region. Participants reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening information exchange mechanisms and enhancing capacity for effective asset recovery.
In his closing remarks, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, commended Nigeria for hosting the Assembly and for its leadership in driving the anti-corruption agenda across West Africa. He described corruption as a direct enabler of instability, terrorism, and underdevelopment in the region, urging all member states to align national efforts with ECOWAS frameworks for good governance and accountability.
The two-day Assembly is expected to produce a regional communique outlining actionable steps for asset recovery, institutional strengthening, and the creation of a sustainable anti-corruption cooperation platform under NACIWA.
Through this gathering, West Africa once again reaffirmed its resolve to confront corruption not merely as a governance issue but as an existential threat to the region’s peace, prosperity, and future.
