Joseph Bakare
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has urged members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to take ownership of the corruption fight by upholding integrity and dedication to honest work, stressing that the nation’s development is dependent on their commitment to ridding the country of all forms of corrupt practices.
He gave this charge in Kubwa, Abuja on Thursday, January 29, 2026 while addressing Batch “A” Stream I Corps members at the NYSC’s Orientation Camp.
Olukoyede who spoke through Superintendent of the EFCC, SE Johnson Oloyede, in a lecture titled: “The Role of Youth in the Anti-Corruption Fight,” described young people as critical stakeholders in the fight against economic and financial crimes.
“One critical group of stakeholders in the anti-corruption fight is the youth. Beyond being the leaders of tomorrow, many economic crimes, especially cybercrimes, are committed by young people. I encourage you to take ownership of the fight against corruption,” he said
The EFCC’s boss further challenged the corps members to see themselves as vanguards of positive change, urging them to become “foot soldiers” in the collective effort to rid the nation of corruption and economic crimes.
“It is not enough to see yourselves as youths in today’s Nigeria, you need to see and carry yourselves as new breed youths. A new breed youth should be angry with the failures of the past and develop strengths for new successes. As a new breed youth, decide to be a solution, rather than a problem, a builder, not a breaker, a thinker, not a plunderer, a pillar, not an evil caterpillar! Nigeria needs new breed youths who will be catalysts of development and springboards of progress.
At the NYSC Orientation camp in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, Olukoyede urged corpers to strive and design their own unique ways of building the nation. He said they can achieve self-determination for national advancement by forming pressure groups against corruption or joining other positive groups advancing the cause of financial integrity in the country.
The anti-corruption czar who was represented by Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE 11 Babatunde Sulaiman, Head, Public Affairs Department, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, also encouraged them to align with those supporting the Commission’s mandate to rid the country of economic and finance crimes.
“You can also camp with those defending the EFCC against its detractors. There are roles to play if only you choose a positive path. It is necessary for me to also enjoin you to join the EFCC-Community Development group. The group works closely with the Commission to advance its cause and project its values. Through the group, you get to know more about the EFCC”, he said.
At the Yobe State NYSC Orientation Camp, Nangere, Olukoyede, who spoke through the Maiduguri Zonal Director, Commander of the EFCC, CE Aisha A.T Habib, tasked corps members to be whistleblowers, stressing that such an engagement would offer them opportunities to demonstrate their patriotic duties by exposing every act of corruption around them. “Exposing corrupt practices around you is not only obligatory, it is also patriotic. The EFCC is relying on you to always expose shady deals in your environments. To conveniently do this, you can use the Eagle Eye App, which is a digital application to report corruption.”
While emphasizing that making such a decision had become imperative, he said: “You have to choose whether you want to be a light-bearer or light-breaker, to lift the burden upon the nation or be a burden to be lifted, to add to the success stories or reverse the gains of progress. There comes a time in the life of every individual when such decisions are imperative and you have come to such a season.”
In Rivers State, at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Nonwa – Gbam, Port Harcourt, Olukoyede urged corps members to build new strength for the nation in areas where it failed in the past “With its immense natural and human resources, our nation is still struggling to find its feet in the comity of developed nations. This is worrisome . As young Nigerians, the story of our past failures should challenge you into new resolutions of progress. You must seek good success for our nation where it has miserably failed in the past”, he said.
Also , in Kaduna State, the EFCC’s Chairman who spoke through Chief Superintendent of the EFCC, CSE Nana Abubakar of the Public Affairs Department, Kaduna Zonal Directorate, emphasized that unemployment should never be used as a justification for criminality. He stressed that cybercrime is not a solution to economic challenges, tasking corpers to use their community development efforts to campaign against youth involvement in internet fraud.
He gave similar charges in Uyo, Ibadan, Gombe, Enugu, Ilorin and in other locations across the country.