The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that he rejected offers totaling nearly N500 million during his mother’s burial in 2019, resisting what could have been a major ethical scandal.
Olukoyede made this disclosure on Thursday at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, where he underscored the importance of integrity in leadership.
The event, themed “Ethics, Integrity, Corruption Risk Assessments, and Anti-Corruption at National and Sub-National levels: Sustaining the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria”, was organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre, the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the EFCC, with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
The EFCC boss, who was serving as the commission’s secretary at the time, narrated how high-profile government officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries, and directors, sent him substantial monetary gifts during the funeral in Ekiti State.
Speaking at the event, Olukoyede detailed how he returned home for the burial ceremony only to find his compound filled with gifts, including 17 cows, some of which were pregnant.
However, the shock came when his security guard handed him a carton containing numerous cheques and drafts from top government officials.
“When I opened the box, I saw cheques from ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and heads of agencies,” he said.
“I took them to my wife, and she immediately said, ‘Praise God.’ But I asked, ‘Praise God for what?’ When we counted everything, it was close to N500 million.”
Despite the temptation, Olukoyede said he chose to return all the money, recognizing the potential consequences if he had deposited the cheques in his account.
He recalled how, by July 2020, he was placed under investigation along with his then EFCC chairman, noting that the cheques could have been used against him in the inquiry.
“I buried my mother in September 2019, and by July 2020, I was under investigation. If I had deposited those cheques, how would I have defended myself before the panel?”
“Many of those who sent the cheques were individuals whose agencies were under EFCC investigations. What if those funds had been traced to my account? Would I have been able to convince anyone that they were mere burial gifts?”
The EFCC chairman stressed that integrity goes beyond avoiding outright corruption, noting that perceptions matter in the fight against financial crimes.
Beyond rejecting questionable funeral donations, Olukoyede also recounted how he refused to approve business bids from his own family members during his tenure as EFCC secretary.
He said that when the EFCC was conducting an auction of forfeited assets, his brother-in-law, an international auctioneer, applied to be selected.
However, upon seeing the application, he said he shredded it immediately to avoid a conflict of interest.
“My PA, who knew him, called him and told him what I did. He did not talk to me for six months,” Olukoyede said.
Similarly, his elder brother asked for help in acquiring a truck from the auction, but Olukoyede firmly refused, insisting on following EFCC regulations, which prohibited immediate family members from participating in auctions.
“He told me they could use another name, but I refused. I knew that if anything went wrong, I could be held accountable,” he explained.
Olukoyede further recounted how, eight months after the auction, he was placed under suspension and investigated over EFCC operations.
“The panel investigated the Port Harcourt auction I oversaw. Now, imagine if they had found my brother-in-law’s name among the selected auctioneers. I may have been in jail by now.”
The EFCC chairman emphasized that public servants must set higher ethical standards beyond what the law requires, adding that Nigeria’s fight against corruption depends on integrity at all levels of governance.
“Many people believe that corruption is just about embezzling public funds, but it is more than that. It is about the choices we make when nobody is watching,” he said.
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