The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has shared his frustration over the level of corruption in the country.
He said that anytime he checks case files and sees the amount stolen, he wonders how the country still exists.
Olukoyede said that if Nigerians saw some case files they would weep.
The EFCC chairman stated this on Tuesday while receiving the management team of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission led by its Chairman, Mohammed Shehu.
Speaking via a statement by the the agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC chair said, “When I look at some case files and see the humongous amount of money stolen, I wonder how we are still surviving. If you see some case files, you will weep.
The way they move unspent budget allocation to private accounts in commercial banks before midnight at the end of a budget circle, you will wonder what kind of spirit drives us as Nigerians.”
He also said public corruption ranks as the biggest cause of corruption in Nigeria.
Olukoyede pointed out that if public corruption was taken out of the polity, the country would fare better than many countries of the world.
He said, “A situation where somebody would hold a public office or position of trust for years and you call him to account and he says No, he would not account, is not acceptable.”
He stressed that transparency and accountability should be embedded in both the public and private sectors for optimal development of the country.
While noting that corruption poses a huge challenge to the country, Olukoyede expressed optimism that the prevention mechanisms of his leadership would ensure that the commission stays ahead of the devices of the corrupt to ensure that Nigerians have good governance experiences.