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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The President of Global Peace Movement International, Dr Mike Uyi, has commended the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, for supporting the conversion of proceeds recovered from corruption into tangible national assets and educational opportunities.
Uyi’s commendation followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that liquid funds recovered by the EFCC be channelled into the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to support students and strengthen the country’s education sector.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had disclosed after a Federal Executive Council meeting that the directive covered liquid funds recovered by the EFCC, alongside unclaimed dividends from the Capital Market Trust Fund and the Dormant Account Trust Fund.
Alausa clarified that the directive did not extend to seized properties or other non-liquid assets.
Reacting to the development, Uyi described the policy as an investment in Nigeria’s future, saying it demonstrated that resources recovered from financial crimes could be redirected towards human capital development.
He said Olukoyede’s leadership had helped to reinforce the principle that the success of the anti-corruption campaign should not be measured only by arrests, prosecutions and convictions, but also by the benefits recovered resources bring to society.
According to him, “There is something particularly significant about taking money or assets recovered from crime and using them to educate young Nigerians.
“It means that what was taken away from society through corruption is being returned to society in the form of opportunity.”
Uyi also cited the forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, ordered by a Federal High Court in Abuja in July 2026.
He said the development was significant because it demonstrated the EFCC’s willingness to pursue forfeiture proceedings involving highly placed former public officials.
He further referenced the Supreme Court’s July 2026 affirmation of the final forfeiture of seven high-value properties, $2.045 million and share certificates linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Uyi said the outcome reinforced the principle that “no office, position or status should place anyone beyond the reach of accountability.”
He also commended the EFCC’s intensified campaign against cybercrime, particularly a nationwide operation that resulted in the arrest of 792 suspects, including 193 foreign nationals who were investigated, prosecuted, convicted and subsequently deported after serving their prison terms.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the Commission’s efforts to confront the increasingly sophisticated cybercrime ecosystem and protect Nigeria’s international reputation.
Uyi also highlighted the EFCC’s July 2026 handover of 1,452 recovered hostel items to the Federal Ministry of Education for use in schools across the country.
The items comprised 501 double-step bunk beds, 939 mattresses and 12 wooden beds with mattresses.
Olukoyede said they were recovered during Operation Eagle Flush, which he described as the Commission’s largest single operation.
“Corruption takes away from the future. Education builds the future. So, when proceeds of corruption are recovered and channelled into education, there is a powerful sense of restoration,” Uyi reiterated.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to sustain the policy while strengthening transparency and accountability in the management of recovered funds and assets.
