The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has called on corps members and youths across the country to always resist the urge to seek wealth through shortcuts and dishonest means.
He gave the charge in Lagos on Thursday, September 8, 2026, while addressing corps members of the 2026 Batch C, Stream 1, at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.
Olukoyede, who spoke through Superintendent of the EFCC, SE Amaka Fingesi, of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Lagos, decried the get-rich-quick syndrome prevalent among youths, saying, “It is a syndrome of compromise. Avoid it. Move away from it and seek to be a value-adding youth in every realm.”
While encouraging the youths to be catalysts for national development, he said they must pursue a fresh agenda of progress, integrity, development and anti-corruption in every realm.
According to him, Nigeria is seeking youths that are reform-minded, zealous for progress and enterprising in national development. This category of youths, he called, new breed youths. “A new breed youth is hungry for new results, angry with compromises and zealous for transparency. A new breed youth is willing and serious to interrogate his or her environment and expose shadiness and corruption. A new breed youth is not interested in following the line of least resistance. He fashions a new route of purpose and gives all it takes to walk in that route. In short, a new breed youth is the answer to the need for progress in our land”, he said.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, Olukoyede charged corps members to embrace integrity, accountability and patriotism as they commenced their service to the nation. Speaking through Superintendent of the EFCC, SE Gbenga Adewoye at the Kwara State NYSC Orientation Camp in the premises of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, the EFCC’s boss noted that Nigeria’s development had been hampered by years of corruption, moral decline and the mismanagement of the nation’s resources.
He, however, challenged the youths to learn from the failures of the past and resolve to build a better future through integrity, hard work, innovation and responsible citizenship.
In Keffi, Nasarawa State, at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Olukoyede urged corps members to regard corruption as an affront and an open war against their possibilities and future, charging them to take up the responsibility of defending the nation against the menace. He also urged them to resist activities that could undermine their future and the development of Nigeria.
The anti-graft czar spoke through the Head of Public Affairs Unit, EFCC Abuja Zonal Directorate, Chief Superintendent of the EFCC, CSE Ngoundu Nguetar, and charged corps members to portray themselves as nation builders and light bearers and strive always to make conscious choices that promote progress and contribute to the greater glory of Nigeria.
In other locations across the country, Abuja, Maiduguri, Uyo, Ibadan, Gombe, Kano, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Awka, Benin-City, Ekiti, Enugu and other places, the EFCC Chairman reiterated his warning against cyber crime, charging corps members to steer clear of involvement in the crime. He enjoined them to be innovation-driven, adding that they should make the best use of the internet.
According to him, there are several alternatives to internet fraud and other acts of corruption that could position them as leaders and nation-builders in the future.
Speaking further, Olukoyede charged the corpers to be whistleblowers. “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 App, which is a digital application for reporting corruption cases. Images can be uploaded on it, and the whistleblower may send his or her report anonymously”, he said.