The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that he turned down financial gifts amounting to nearly N500 million during his mother’s funeral in 2019.
Olukoyede made this disclosure on Thursday while speaking at the 38th Anti-Corruption Situation Room in Abuja, an event focused on ethics, integrity, and corruption risk assessments at both national and sub-national levels. The programme was organized by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre, the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, the ICPC, and the EFCC, with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
At the time of the funeral, Olukoyede was serving as Secretary of the EFCC. He recounted that after returning to his family home in Ekiti State for the burial, he discovered a carton filled with cheques and bank drafts from various high-ranking officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries, directors, and agency heads.
Upon counting the cheques, the total amounted to nearly N500 million. However, rather than cashing them, Olukoyede made the decision to return all the funds.
He recalled the moment, saying, “I lost my mother in 2019, and during the funeral, people came with gifts. When I arrived at my small compound in Ekiti, I saw about 17 cows, including pregnant ones.
My gatekeeper then presented a box to me, and inside it, I found numerous cheques and drafts from top government officials.”
He further explained that his wife initially saw the cheques and exclaimed, “Praise God!” but he immediately questioned what there was to celebrate. Concerned about the implications, he refused to accept the funds.
Reflecting on the incident, Olukoyede emphasized that if he had deposited the cheques into his account, it could have jeopardized his integrity, particularly when he later came under investigation in 2020.
“I did the burial in September 2019, and by July 2020, I was under investigation. Imagine if those cheques had been found in my bank account. Some of the agencies under EFCC investigation had their directors, DGs, and ministers sending me these cheques. It could have been used against me,” he noted.
He used the experience to highlight the importance of ethical leadership and transparency, especially for public officials handling anti-corruption matters.
