The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that he turned down financial gifts totaling nearly N500 million during his mother’s funeral in 2019.
Speaking at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja on Thursday, Olukoyede said ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and other high-ranking officials offered him the money through cheques and drafts. At the time, he was serving as the EFCC Secretary.
He recounted returning home for the burial in Ekiti State, where he found a box filled with these financial gifts. Upon tallying them, he discovered they amounted to almost half a billion naira.
“When I got home, my gateman presented a carton to me. Inside it, I saw numerous cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and DGs of agencies. By the time we counted, it was close to N500m,” he said.
Olukoyede explained that if he had accepted and deposited the money, it could have later been used against him, especially since some of the people who sent the money were under EFCC investigation.
He also shared another example of integrity, rejecting an attempt by his brother-in-law and elder brother to benefit from an EFCC auction while he was in office.
He stressed that ethical leadership is crucial in Nigeria’s fight against corruption, highlighting the importance of transparency in public service.
