By Nkechi Eze
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on local government chairmen to ensure that increased financial resources available to the third tier of government translate into tangible development and improved living conditions for Nigerians at the grassroots.
Olukoyede made the call on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in Abuja at the maiden Annual National Conference of Local Government Council Chairmen and Traditional Rulers Councils.
Represented by the Director of Public Affairs Department, Commander of the EFCC, CE Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC Chairman said accountability must extend across all tiers of government, particularly as more resources are being made available to local councils.
“The EFCC is equally committed to transparency and accountability at the sub-national level and would want to see the improved resources flow to the third tier of government translate into improvement in the quality of lives of the grassroots population,” he said.
He said the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate was closely aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that recovered proceeds of crime should be converted into productive investments that benefit Nigerians.
Olukoyede cited the Federal Government’s allocation of ₦50 billion each from recovered funds to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP), with additional funding subsequently approved.
He also highlighted the conversion of the forfeited former NOK University in Kaduna State into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, which, he said, had enrolled 1,909 students by December 2025.
The EFCC Chairman said economic crimes were increasingly linked to national security threats, citing terrorist financing, illegal mining, cross-border cybercrime and money laundering as areas requiring sustained enforcement.
He disclosed that the Commission’s specialised enforcement portfolio had recorded 920 cases and 212 convictions, with investigations and prosecutions continuing in the areas of money laundering, terrorist financing, illegal mining and virtual-assets fraud.
Olukoyede also said nearly 60 per cent of the EFCC’s processes and operations had been digitalised, while the Commission continued to strengthen its Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre and investigative technology.
“We will investigate professionally, prosecute on the strength of evidence and respect the constitutional role of the courts in determining guilt or innocence. No title should place anyone outside the reach of the law, but neither should the fight against corruption be separated from due process,” he said.
On asset recovery, Olukoyede said the EFCC recovered more than ₦1.233 trillion between October 2023 and the period covered by its recent stewardship account, in addition to $684.48 million, £373,905.78 and €9.34 million.
He said approximately two-thirds of the naira recovered had been returned to ministries, departments and agencies, state revenue services, companies and individuals, while federal and state tax recoveries accounted for about ₦288.1 billion.
According to him, about ₦661.32 billion and $492.37 million had been released to beneficiaries during the period, stressing that asset recovery achieves its purpose when recovered resources are returned to citizens or deployed for productive national use.
Olukoyede said the EFCC was also strengthening its internal accountability through new arrest and bail guidelines and conflict-of-interest safeguards, noting that institutions demanding accountability from others must also uphold the same standards.
He urged local government chairmen to make accountability a practical principle across the third tier of government, particularly as increased resources create greater opportunities for grassroots development.
Also speaking at the conference, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his administration was working to reduce the distance between government and citizens by widening access to services and creating more centres of development.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, the President said Nigeria could not achieve sustainable development through a centre-driven approach alone.
“Development must take root from the bottom up,” Tinubu said, urging local government leaders to ensure that citizens experience improvements in primary healthcare, basic education, rural roads, safe water, food systems, support for small businesses and opportunities for women and young people.
