Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has denied claims that President Bola Tinubu is targeting opposition party members with the Commission.
He claims that the President’s main concern is the way in which the leaders of important ministries and government organisations are carrying out their missions.
The accusations, according to Olukoyede, are a ruse to divert attention away from “the good work he is doing”.
He claims that the President’s main concern is the way in which the leaders of important ministries and government organisations are carrying out their missions.
“I think Nigerians should appreciate the kind of president we have at this time, and I am being serious about it. It is not because I am occupying this position. Anyone who would be sincere, particularly those who work with Mr President, those who are members of Federal Executive Council, those who are heading agencies, ministries and departments, any time you see Mr President, the body language is ‘look, what have you done?’ ‘How much have you recovered?’
“The man doesn’t have time for this issue; people are just trying to distract the government, they are just trying to distract the working president. Those who are close to him will tell you he doesn’t want to hear anything apart from the performance,” Olukoyede said.
Olukoyede responded to a further charge that the EFCC utilises its authority to stifle dissenting opinions, especially those of opposition parties, by stating that the Commission’s track record of high-profile cases indicates otherwise.
He went on to say that the opposition has been prosecuted less frequently than members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“If you check the statistics of our work, the area of investigation, prosecution, and particularly high-profile cases, you will perhaps find more members of the ruling party and some of the cases we have done. So, we must be judged fairly.”
It would be unfair for the Commission to refrain from looking into and prosecuting opposition members based only on the opinions of critics, the EFCC Chair continued.
“You will find prominent members of the ruling party as part of the people we have investigated and filed charges against. So, for us to close our eyes to people who perhaps are not members of the ruling political party will be unfair to us and will be an injustice,” he said.
Concerns over internal corruption at the EFCC were also addressed by Olukoyede, who disclosed that since taking office, 27 employees had been fired for a variety of offences.
He clarified that the dismissals were required because it is practically impossible to make significant headway in the battle against corruption if everyone involved does not act with integrity.
The Commission didn’t end there, he continued, adding that several instances are still pending and that several of them are already undergoing action.
