The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intensified its monitoring of the 2025 budget implementation by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prevent the diversion of public funds, Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has said.
According to Dele Oyewale, Head, Media & Publicity EFCC in a statement issued on Thursday Olukoyede made this known on Tuesday, April 29, while receiving a delegation from the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), led by its Chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
“We are monitoring the MDAs, particularly on budget implementation. If we can even do 50 percent of our capital budget, the country would be fine,” Olukoyede stated. “There is no year we have implemented up to 25 percent of our capital budget. Releases are being made, but there’s no commensurate development.”
He emphasized that the Commission is tracking every kobo released and has intensified efforts to prevent misappropriation before it happens. “With the systems we have put in place, we will no longer wait for money to be stolen. Prevention is more effective and less costly than recovery,” he said, citing the establishment of the Fraud Risk Assessment and Control (FRAC) department as a major preventive strategy.
Olukoyede highlighted the EFCC’s record-breaking performance in 2024, noting the highest number of convictions and financial recoveries in the agency’s 22-year history. However, he stressed that 2025 will focus more on prevention than recovery.
Speaking on environmental crimes, the EFCC boss also shed light on the Commission’s increasing involvement in the extractive industry, particularly illegal mining.
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“These miners are largely unlicensed, offering no economic benefits while degrading the environment and depleting national resources. This sabotage must stop,” he said.
He revealed ongoing collaborations with the Ministry of Solid Minerals and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to combat illegal activities in the sector.
In his remarks, HEDA Chairman Suraju commended the EFCC for its unwavering stance against corruption and described the Commission as “an ambassador of Nigeria.” He praised Olukoyede’s leadership, particularly in linking environmental crime with corruption and broadening the scope of anti-graft efforts.
“EFCC remains the shining light for Nigeria’s image abroad,” Suraju said. “We at HEDA are committed to sustained engagement and collaboration with the Commission in the fight against corruption.”
