The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has identified public sector corruption as Nigeria’s most significant challenge, with procurement and contract fraud accounting for 90 per cent of the country’s corruption cases.
Olukoyede made this known during a meeting with the management team of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), led by its Director-General, Adebowale Adedokun, at the Commission’s headquarters yesterday.
“In the EFCC, we tackle both private and public sector fraud. However, when it comes to the public sector—one of our greatest challenges in Nigeria—we found that contract and procurement fraud makes up more than 90% of public sector corruption. These range from commingling to contract splitting and other unethical practices,” Olukoyede stated.
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He highlighted the negative impact of such corruption on infrastructure and development, emphasising the need for collective action to address the issue.
“Infrastructure and other developmental problems are attributable to contract and procurement fraud. It lies with you and me to make a change. If we work together, we can leave this country better than when we met it,” he added.
Olukoyede also called for stronger collaboration between the agency and the BPP, particularly in project implementation and monitoring, pledging to ensure accountability in the execution of the 2025 national budget.
In response, Adedokun assured the anti-graft agency and Nigerians of the BPP’s renewed commitment to transparency and good governance.
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He emphasised the importance of trust and accountability in the procurement process.
“We are here to reassure you and Nigerians that procurement under my leadership will be handled with integrity. The EFCC can trust our documents in investigations related to fraud and procurement. It’s no longer business as usual, and we’ve already begun this transformation,” Adedokun stated.
He also pledged to deploy procurement as a tool for delivering good governance, emphasising value for public funds.
