ADEYANJU URGES EFCC TO TRACK STATE REVENUES

Human rights lawyer and public affairs commentator, Deji Adeyanju, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to closely monitor state revenues and investigate credible allegations of the misuse of public funds.

Adeyanju made the call while reacting to the EFCC’s recent report on its recoveries and convictions under Chairman Ola Olukoyede. The commission said it recovered more than N1.23tn, $684.48m, £373,905.78 and €9.34m between October 2023 and June 2026, while securing 10,872 convictions.

He commended the EFCC for its performance, saying the figures showed that sustained efforts could produce meaningful results in the fight against financial crimes.

However, Adeyanju said the anti-corruption campaign should not focus only on recovering funds that had already been stolen. He urged the commission to also prevent the diversion of public resources in the future.

He specifically called for closer monitoring of increased revenues received by state governments following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

According to him, Nigerians have a right to know how additional allocations and fiscal inflows are being spent.

Adeyanju urged the EFCC to, within its statutory mandate, follow public funds from allocation to expenditure and investigate credible allegations of diversion or misuse.

He said preventing the loss of public resources was as important as recovering money after it had been diverted.