Ola Olukoyede, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has described collaboration and understanding issues in tackling economic and financial crimes as key to achieving sustainable success. Olukayode said this in a statement by EFCC Spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Thursday in Abuja. He spoke at the 2025 EFCC- Civil Society Organisation’s Capacity- Building Workshop in Abuja.

The chairman was represented by the Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the commission, Commander of the EFCC, CE Wilson Uwujaren. According to him, the commission places strong values and significance in building collaboration and mutual understanding with all stakeholders.

The media and civil society organisations, no doubt, are very critical to the work of fighting every form of economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.

The nexus between the media and civil society organisations is very strong. They are like the right ear and left ear of the same horse, they have a shared mandate exposing shadiness and integrity deficit in individuals and groups across the country. This is why the commission considered it imperative to bring together these stakeholders in a capacity-building workshop, he said.

Olukoyede said that the issues for discussion revolved around operational, legal, and the media. He said that understanding the key issues would impact public appreciation of the work of the EFCC. Equally important is the role of the media and CSOs in driving preventive framework of the commission. Discussion of all these germane topics will broaden and widen their understanding and public grasp of how they are being tackled by the EFCC.

Our commitment to stakeholders’ engagement is absolute. Public ownership of the fight against corruption remains the most potent and enduring modality for driving and sustaining the fight, he said. According to the EFCC boss, closely related to this is the enlightened conversation on salient issues involved in the anti-graft fight. He said that the EFCC was focused on moving the nation forward.

Without fear or favour, and in taking such a route, corruption is bound to fight back by whatever means the fight back is designed. We can not be rattled or intimidated as far as we are concerned, right is might, and is often said, conscience is an open wound which only the truth can heal,” he said.

A Director in the Legal and Prosecution Department, Commander of the EFCC, CE Dr Ben Ubi, spoke on the challenges of prosecuting cases of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria. Ubi commended the the efforts of the EFCC chairman and the commission’s officers. He said that such efforts had, over the years, helped to remove the name of Nigeria from the list of non-cooperating countries and territories of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

According to him, this shows that if not for the painstaking efforts of the EFCC, the country would have long been blacklisted. Also, an officer from the cybercrime Section of the commission, Sam Agbi-Enahoro, shed light on cryptocurrency fraud and other emerging financial crimes.

Agbi-Enahoro urged stakeholders to stay away from engaging in any business or online trade that may jeopardise their work and integrity. He explained technicalities involved in crypto currency transactions and pointed out how fraudulent dealings were creeping into the business. He also cautioned the audience against unrealistic and jumbo offers, stressing that “when it is too good to be true, please do not do it”.

Speaking, the EFCC Spokesperson urged the media and CSOs to join the commission in driving those modalities. Oyewale, a Deputy Commander of EFCC, spoke on the role of media, and civil society organisations in driving the preventive framework of the commission. He urged the civil society organisations and media professionals to join force in driving the preventive framework of the anti-corruption fight initiated by the EFCC Chairman.

If we wait until the money or assets are stolen before we now embark on recovery drive, there is no way you can recover all. If there are modalities in place to prevent the looting of the treasury or any other fraudulent act, then we will be able to save the society from all of these losses, he said.