By Rasheeda Yahaya
?The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on religious leaders across the country to consistently preach sound doctrines that explicitly denounce corruption and emphasize its damaging effects on society.
?Speaking on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, in Abuja at the 2026 Second Council Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and the launch of the Anti-Corruption Interfaith Manual, Olukoyede stressed that the moral authority of religious leaders is essential to restoring the dignity of honest living.
?Delivering a paper aligned with the event's theme, “Shared Sacred Flourishing in Nigeria,” the EFCC boss noted that the well-being of the nation depends on individual actions and that corrupt practices undermine collective prosperity.
?“Corruption privatizes what is shared, converts the commonwealth into private advantage, and allows one person to flourish by making many others poorer,” Olukoyede stated, adding that the core mandate of the EFCC is to defend the integrity of that shared wealth.
?He explained that by emphasizing moral integrity within their respective doctrines, Christian and Muslim leaders can preserve their traditions while unifying their followers around shared values of justice, peace, and national development.
?Highlighting the Commission’s ongoing collaboration with faith communities, Olukoyede revealed that the EFCC has long advocated for the inclusion of anti-corruption messages in religious sermons, culminating in the development and launch of the newly introduced Anti-Corruption Interfaith Manual.
?“Over the years, we have specifically spelt out what should be the roles of religious leaders and the doctrine they need to pass down to their followers,” he said. “We believe that no religion condones corruption and no faith entertains fraudulent engagements. We are using this opportunity to launch the manual, which we hope our religious leaders will find useful in preaching anti-corruption messages to their members.”
?Olukoyede further emphasized that financial crimes affect all citizens equally, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation.
?“Financial crime has no religion. Corruption has no tribe,” he noted. “When public money is stolen, both Christians and Muslims suffer. A badly equipped hospital does not first ask a dying patient where he worships. A collapsed road does not distinguish between a Christian traveler and a Muslim traveler. Inflation does not spare one faith community. We enjoin our pastors and imams to keep faith with the manual and actively engage their members on why corruption is heinous.”
?Concluding his address, the EFCC Chairman urged churches and mosques to complement law enforcement by shaping personal character and preventing financial crime before it occurs.
?“The EFCC can investigate a person's conduct; faith communities can influence that person's character,” Olukoyede said. “We can prosecute fraud; religious teaching can cultivate honesty. We can confiscate illicit wealth; churches and mosques can challenge the values that make society worship wealth without questioning its source. We can punish corruption after the event; faith can help prevent it before it begins.”
