EFCC chairman urges engineering graduates to shun corruption

EFCC chair, Olukoyede. Photo: File

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has urged newly inducted engineering graduates to uphold integrity and shun corruption, warning that unethical practices in the profession could endanger lives and undermine national development.

Olukoyede said corruption had prevented Nigeria from translating its abundant natural and human resources into wealth and improved living conditions for its more than 200 million people.

He spoke on Friday at the induction ceremony of 45 engineering graduates of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, where he delivered a lecture titled, “Integrity, Accountability and the Fight Against Economic and Financial Crimes: Building a Culture of Transparency and Responsibility in Nigeria.”

The EFCC chairman urged the graduates and other students to reject cybercrime, identity theft, internet fraud and other illicit activities, warning that the temporary gains from criminal conduct could damage their reputations and future prospects.

He identified embezzlement, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, money laundering, illicit financial flows, terrorist financing, cyber fraud, investment and procurement fraud, bank fraud, tax evasion, economic sabotage and virtual asset fraud as manifestations of corruption in Nigeria.

“The absence of integrity allows professionals to falsify records, manipulate contracts, divert public funds and compromise the quality of projects meant to serve the public. Corruption in the public and private sectors remains a major obstacle to Nigeria’s development,” he said.

He said engineers had a particular responsibility to maintain professional standards because poor-quality infrastructure could put lives at risk and erode public trust.

The anti-graft chief also criticised what he described as society’s celebration of unexplained wealth, saying corrupt individuals were sometimes rewarded with chieftaincy titles, given prominent places in worship centres and defended along ethnic lines.

“EFCC had secured 10,872 convictions and recovered monetary assets worth over N1.288trn in the last three years as part of efforts to combat economic and financial crimes,” he added.

He highlighted the establishment of the commission’s Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, which examines vulnerabilities in ministries, departments and agencies, monitors budget releases and seeks to prevent fraud.

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He also cited the revised Interfaith Manual presented on September 23, 2026, in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto and other religious leaders, as part of the commission’s preventive efforts.

Other initiatives he mentioned included the EFCC’s 97.3 FM radio station, established in May 2024, and the Cybercrime Rapid Response Centre, unveiled on October 22, 2024.

Olukoyede said the commission was also establishing a Cybercrime Research Centre at its new academy in Giri, Abuja.

He urged families, schools, religious leaders, traditional rulers and professional bodies to promote ethical conduct, arguing that a compromised system could not produce responsible citizens or institutions.

In his address, an engineer and entrepreneur, Henrich Akomolafe, said artificial intelligence was changing how engineers designed, built, manufactured, operated and maintained systems.

He, however, warned that the technology should not replace professional judgement, ethics or human responsibility.

“AI is a tool that strengthens engineering capability; it is not a substitute for engineering judgement, professional ethics or human responsibility,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Babatunde Omojola, said the induction ceremony reflected the institution’s commitment to producing competent and professionally responsible graduates.

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, S.A. Akinola, described the ceremony as a demonstration of knowledge, responsibility and partnership, saying the oath taken by the inductees was a commitment to using their skills in the public interest.