Alausa Declares EFCC ‘Cleanest Ever’ Under Tinubu, Showers Praise On Olukoyede

The Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has praised the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, for transforming the anti-graft agency and elevating its operational standards.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Alausa made the remarks on Tuesday at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja during the formal handover of beds and mattresses recovered from a major cybercrime operation and forfeited to the Federal Government.

The recovered items—501 double-step bunk beds, 939 mattresses, and 12 wooden beds with mattresses—were seized during a special enforcement exercise known as Operation Eagle Flush.

Commending the EFCC leadership, the minister said Olukoyede had introduced a new level of professionalism and integrity within the Commission.

“Chairman, I commend you for bringing the highest level of standards to the EFCC,” Alausa stated.

Responding, Olukoyede said the transfer of the recovered assets demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to ensuring that proceeds of crime are redirected to benefit Nigerian children and young people.

According to him, Operation Eagle Flush led to the arrest and investigation of 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals. He disclosed that all those involved were prosecuted and convicted, while the foreign nationals were deported to their respective countries after serving due legal processes.

The minister also applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing Olukoyede to head the EFCC, describing the President as someone with a proven ability to identify capable individuals for critical national assignments.

He said Tinubu has consistently demonstrated sound judgment in selecting competent leaders, adding that the President knew exactly what he was doing when he entrusted Olukoyede with the leadership of the Commission.

“Three years after his appointment, we have the cleanest EFCC in the history of this country,” Alausa said.

He further maintained that under Olukoyede’s leadership, the Commission has not been used to intimidate or persecute innocent Nigerians but has remained committed to operating within the bounds of the law.

According to the minister, the EFCC has also shifted from merely reacting to corruption cases to proactively identifying and addressing systemic corruption, particularly in government procurement, which he described as one of the country’s biggest corruption challenges.

He credited Olukoyede with introducing preventive measures aimed at reducing procurement-related corruption rather than waiting for offences to occur before taking action.

Alausa disclosed that the recovered beds and mattresses would be distributed to Federal Unity Colleges nationwide, noting that the education sector has significantly benefited from the Commission’s asset recovery initiatives.

Explaining the rationale behind the donation, Olukoyede said the handover aligns with the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the education sector and improving learning conditions across the country.

He noted that President Tinubu approved the initiative because children and young people are among the greatest victims of corruption and therefore deserve to benefit directly from assets recovered from criminal activities.

The EFCC chairman added that the donation was carried out in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act and forms part of the Commission’s broader support for education.

He recalled that the EFCC had previously facilitated the transfer of ₦50 billion in recovered funds to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and supported the conversion of Nok University into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.

Olukoyede reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to recovering proceeds of crime and ensuring that such assets are deployed transparently and effectively for projects that improve the lives of Nigerians, particularly in the education sector.