Vice Chairman of the South East Constitution Review Committee, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, has expressed optimism that Nigeria could achieve a corruption-free public sector if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sustains its current pace and efficiency.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Nwaebonyi commended the leadership of the EFCC under Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede, crediting the Commission for transforming from what he described as a “media trial agency” into a results-driven institution.
“You remember that before now, EFCC was doing more of a media trial without achieving much results. But you can see within these two years plus, EFCC has secured a lot of convictions, showing that they are working. And I believe that if they continue in this way, then very soon corruption will be completely eradicated in our public system,” he said.
The senator lauded the agency’s growing independence and urged the EFCC to maintain transparency by periodically briefing Nigerians on the status of high-profile investigations — including cases where no substantial evidence is found.
“Law is a game governed by rules and facts. So if somebody brings up a petition that a certain politician has embezzled funds, it is left for the EFCC or any other agency to investigate and determine the truth. EFCC is doing a good job. We are not dictating for them; they are fairly independent in their investigations,” he said.
Nwaebonyi added that publicly clarifying cases with no prima facie evidence would help dispel the perception that all politicians are corrupt.
“Most of these high-profile cases that have no prima facie case against such individuals should be made public, so that Nigerians will not say all politicians are thieves. Not all politicians are thieves. We still have good leaders who are committed to setting things right for the development of this country,” he concluded.
The senator’s remarks come just days after the Presidency praised the EFCC for its remarkable institutional growth and operational reforms. On October 16, 2025, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Bala Usman, led a delegation to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja to present the Commission’s Performance Charter.
“You should all be proud of yourselves, seeing your trajectory,” Usman said. “Some of us have been observing the EFCC journey for a long time, and I just want to say that collectively your staff and the organisation should be very proud of what has been built in these years. Every day you visit EFCC, you see how it has improved. I’m not sure there’s any organisation that has grown the way the EFCC has grown from 2000 to date.”
Nwaebonyi’s endorsement adds to growing public recognition of the Commission’s recent strides under Olukoyede, whose administration has focused on strengthening internal systems, increasing conviction rates, and restoring public trust in Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework.
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