Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that he turned down gifts amounting to nearly N500 million during his mother’s funeral in 2019.
Speaking at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, he stressed the importance of integrity in public service, particularly in the fight against corruption.
Olukoyede, who was the EFCC Secretary at the time, recalled that upon arriving at his home in Ekiti State for the burial, he was surprised to find an unusual display of generosity.
The EFCC chairman narrated, “I lost my mother in the year 2019 (in Ekiti State). We went for the funeral. I was the secretary of the EFCC then. People came. So I went to my place a day before the funeral service.
“By the time I got to my small compound, which I built several years ago before I joined the EFCC, I saw about 17 cows in my compound, including pregnant ones.”
His gatekeeper later presented him with a box filled with cheques and bank drafts, sent by ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and heads of agencies. Upon reviewing the cheques, he discovered the total value was close to N500 million.
“When I got home, my gate man presented a box to me and inside it, I saw so many cheques and drafts from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, DGs of agencies, etc.”
“And so, I went in and showed it to my wife. She said, ‘Praise God’. I said, ‘Praise God for what?’ By the time we put all the cheques together, it counted close to N500m.”
Although cultural traditions often encourage the acceptance of gifts during such occasions, he chose to return them. Olukoyede questioned the implications of accepting money from individuals, some of whom were under EFCC investigation.
“Even though that would not have influenced my decision… how would I have explained before a panel that they saw cheques paid into my account?” he remarked.
Beyond this incident, Olukoyede shared other examples of his commitment to ethical conduct. He stated that he had disqualified his brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, from participating in an EFCC asset auction to prevent any conflict of interest.
Similarly, he refused his elder brother’s request to acquire a truck through the auction process, insisting on adherence to commission guidelines.
Reflecting on his choices, the EFCC chairman said his insistence on integrity had shielded him from any future scrutiny regarding EFCC operations.
He maintained that accepting the gifts could have cast doubt on his credibility and that of the anti-graft agency. His account underscores the ethical dilemmas faced by public officials and the need for strict adherence to transparency and accountability.
“I did the burial in September 2019. By July 2020, I was under investigation. Now, assuming all those cheques were paid into my account as traditional gifts and some of the MDAs that we were investigating in the EFCC, some of their directors and their DGs and their ministers sent cheques to me.”
“Ordinarily, I mean for burial, some gave me one million, N20m and all of that. Even though that would not have influenced my decision if I was in a position to determine what would happen to their investigations, how would I have explained before a panel that they saw cheques paid into my account?”
The 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room, where Olukoyede shared his experiences, was organized by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre. The event served as a platform for discussing strategies to combat corruption and promote good governance in Nigeria.
