In a startling revelation that shatters conventional assumptions about corruption in Nigeria, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has declared that civil servants—not just politicians—are at the epicenter of the country’s deep-rooted corruption crisis.
Olukoyede, in a candid interview shared via his verified X handle on Saturday, disclosed that Nigeria’s civil service harbors some of the most corrupt individuals in the country. He noted that the majority of Abuja’s most luxurious properties in elite districts like Asokoro and Maitama are not owned by politicians or business moguls, but by civil servants whose official earnings can barely justify their lavish acquisitions.
“Statistics have shown, and we have evidence to prove, that most houses in Asokoro and Maitama are owned by civil servants,” Olukoyede stated, reinforcing the gravity of institutionalized graft within Nigeria’s bureaucracy.
Asokoro and Maitama are known as Abuja’s crème de la crème—neighborhoods reserved for the ultra-wealthy and influential. That civil servants dominate these highbrow areas, the EFCC boss argued, is a testament to just how entrenched and profitable corruption has become within the public establishment.
According to Olukoyede, an EFCC investigation into a federal ministry revealed that a staggering N33.7 billion had been stolen. Shockingly, only N3 billion was traced to the then Minister, while a jaw-dropping N30.7 billion was linked to top-ranking civil servants—including directors of finance, procurement, and administration.
“This is the shocking truth Nigerians must wake up to,” he said. “The volume of money stolen by establishment people—the so-called career civil servants—far exceeds what most politicians have stolen.”
He continued: “From our investigation, it is clear that politicians cannot steal without the active collaboration of establishment insiders. Political appointees come and go, but these civil servants remain—embedded, powerful, and often untouchable.”
When asked why these revelations have not been widely publicized or the culprits exposed, Olukoyede explained that the EFCC operates based on traceable evidence. He noted that in many cases, stolen funds are laundered through real estate, children’s bank accounts, or cronies, making investigations complex but not impossible.
“In several cases, the suspects confessed. They didn’t even deny ownership of the funds or properties once we presented them with documentary evidence. If they had tried to blame the Minister or political leadership, we might have treated them as accessories. But they owned up—because the evidence was overwhelming,” he said.
Olukoyede stressed that while the public and media often focus on corrupt politicians, the real power players in Nigeria’s grand corruption scheme are the so-called ‘establishment people’—career bureaucrats who have turned public office into a pipeline for personal enrichment.
“The civil service has become a shadow government where fortunes are siphoned off the national treasury behind closed doors,” he warned. “And unless we confront this head-on, Nigeria will continue to bleed.”
The EFCC boss also pointed fingers at the private sector, describing it as “just as rotten” as the public sector. He maintained that massive corruption exists in both realms, with collusion often occurring between corporate entities and government insiders.
The Commission, he said, is ramping up its investigative techniques—tracing illicit funds, tracking real estate purchases, and interrogating financial flows. Its aim is clear: to dismantle the web of corruption that has gripped Nigeria’s institutions from within.
Olukoyede’s revelations paint a damning portrait of systemic rot in Nigeria, not driven solely by headline-grabbing politicians, but by an invisible empire of career civil servants operating with alarming impunity. As the EFCC intensifies its crackdown, many are now wondering: how many more mansions in Abuja conceal not just luxury—but looted legacies?
PIONEER NEWS 