Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has commended the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, for raising the Commission’s standards to its highest level.
Alausa spoke on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja, where a ministry delegation received beds and mattresses recovered from a cybercrime bust and forfeited to the Federal Government. “Chairman, I commend you for bringing the highest level of standards to the EFCC,” Alausa said.
The items, comprising 501 double-step bunks, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses, were recovered during a special operation code-named Operation Eagle Flush.
Olukoyede said the handover gesture reflected commitment to ensuring proceeds of crime benefit Nigerian children and youth. He said 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals, were arrested and investigated in connection with the operation. According to him, the suspects were subsequently convicted and, in the case of the foreign nationals, deported to their countries of origin.
The minister praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s judgment in appointing Olukoyede to lead the Commission three years ago. He said the President has long demonstrated an unmatched ability to identify the right people for the right assignments.
“President Bola Tinubu said one thing. He said he will never give somebody an assignment he does not know they can handle. Today, Mr President is the best talent hunter in this country, and presumably in the world.”
“When he brought Mr Ola Olukoyede to the EFCC, the President knew what he was doing,” Alausa said. “Today, three years later, we have the cleanest EFCC in the history of this country.”
Alausa said the Commission under Olukoyede has never been deployed to victimise or harass innocent citizens. He said it has instead operated strictly within the confines of the rule of law.
“And it’s not an EFCC the President will use to victimise and harass innocent citizens,” Alausa said. “We have never seen that in the last three years. We have an EFCC that is operating within the confines of the rule of law.”
Commenting on the EFCC’s boss performance, he noted that Olukoyede has taken the Commission beyond a reactive posture on corruption to one that proactively identifies where the country’s heaviest corruption burdens lie. He said procurement accounts for the biggest share of corruption within the government.
“Beyond trying to be proactive in fighting corruption, beyond identifying where we have the most burden of corruption, the biggest part of corruption in our government has to do with procurement . He has worked assiduously to really help reduce that in a proactive manner, not a reactive manner. That’s what leadership is all about”, the minister said.
He further explained that the beds and mattresses would be deployed to unity colleges across the country. He said the education sector has been among the biggest beneficiaries of the Commission’s asset recovery efforts under Olukoyede’s leadership.
Speaking further on the rationale of the handover of the items, the EFCC’s Chair disclosed that the decision to hand over the facilities to the Ministry of Education aligns with the Federal Government’s determination to improve the quality of education in Nigeria. “The decision to hand over these facilities to the Federal Ministry of Education is in line with the Federal Government’s determination to improve the quality of education in Nigeria.”
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the gesture fully aware that children and youths are the greatest victims of corruption.
“Children and the youth are the greatest victims of corruption and should naturally be the first beneficiaries of the proceeds of such a crime,” Olukoyede said.
The EFCC boss said the handover, done in line with the Proceeds of Crime Act and with Federal Government approval, continues the Commission’s support for the education sector. He cited N50 billion in recovered funds already channelled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, and the conversion of Nok University to a Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State.
He said such gestures widen the window of opportunity for education and social progression for Nigerian youths. Olukoyede added that the Commission would continue to recover proceeds of crime and ensure such recoveries are judiciously, transparently and effectively deployed for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“In line with the Provisions of the Proceeds of Crimes Act and the approval of the Federal Government, this gesture is a continuation of support to the educational sector, including N50bn of recovered funds to the Students Loan Scheme and conversion of Nok University to a Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State,” he said
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