The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has urged corps members across the country to shun the get-rich-quick syndrome, warning that the pursuit of wealth through dishonest means undermines personal integrity and national development.
Olukoyede gave the charge while addressing members of the 2026 Batch C, Stream 1, of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the orientation camp in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos, where he urged them to embrace integrity, hard work and transparency.
Speaking through Superintendent of the EFCC, Amaka Fingesi, of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, the EFCC chairman described the get-rich-quick syndrome as “a syndrome of compromise” and encouraged the youths to become value-adding members of society.
“It is a syndrome of compromise. Avoid it. Move away from it and seek to be a value-adding youth in every realm,” he said.
Olukoyede urged the corps members to become catalysts for national development by promoting progress, integrity, innovation and anti-corruption wherever they found themselves. He described a “new breed youth” as someone committed to achieving results, opposed to compromise and willing to expose corruption and demand transparency.
“A new breed youth is hungry for new results, angry with compromises and zealous for transparency. A new breed youth is willing and serious to interrogate his or her environment and expose shadiness and corruption,” he said, adding that such youths were essential to Nigeria’s progress.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, the EFCC chairman similarly urged corps members to embrace integrity, accountability and patriotism as they began their national service. Speaking through Superintendent Gbenga Adewoye at the NYSC orientation camp within the Kwara State Polytechnic premises, he said corruption, moral decline and the mismanagement of national resources had hindered Nigeria’s development.
He challenged the youths to learn from the failures of the past and contribute to building a better country through hard work, innovation, responsible citizenship and integrity.
At the NYSC orientation camp in Keffi, Nasarawa State, Olukoyede urged corps members to regard corruption as a threat to their future and the country’s development. Speaking through the Head of Public Affairs Unit at the EFCC Abuja Zonal Directorate, Chief Superintendent Ngoundu Nguetar, he called on them to see themselves as nation-builders and make conscious choices that promote national progress.
Across other locations, including Abuja, Maiduguri, Uyo, Ibadan, Gombe, Kano, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Awka, Benin City, Ekiti and Enugu, Olukoyede reiterated his warning against cybercrime and urged corps members to avoid internet fraud while using digital platforms productively.
He encouraged them to explore legitimate opportunities on the internet, noting that innovation and responsible use of technology could help position them as future leaders and contributors to national development.
The EFCC chairman also urged corps members to report corruption and suspicious activities in their communities, describing whistleblowing as both a civic responsibility and an act of patriotism.
“Exposing corrupt practices around you is not only obligatory; it is also patriotic. The EFCC is relying on you to always expose shady deals in your environments,” he said.
He encouraged the corps members to use the EFCC’s Eagle mobile application to report suspected corruption, explaining that users could upload images and submit reports anonymously.
