The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Awka Zonal Directorate, located at Udoka Estate, Awka, Anambra State, has been officially commissioned.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that the commissioning was performed on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
In his address, Abbas reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, to creating the necessary environment for anti-corruption agencies to effectively discharge their mandates.
The Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, who delivered the keynote address, said the fight against corruption and financial crimes must be regarded as a collective responsibility, stressing that no society could make meaningful progress under the weight of economic and financial crimes.
Expressing delight at hosting the EFCC’s new operational hub, Soludo commended the commission for decentralising its operations to the grassroots, recalling his personal experience with the agency after he left office as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“We are excited to host this EFCC office in Awka. You are beginning to drill down the function of fighting crimes to the grassroots. Fighting crime is everybody’s business, and the work of the EFCC is pivotal for our national development.
“In a society with pervasive economic and financial crimes, there can be no forwardness, it is the foundation.
“Nobody who earns legitimate money throws it around; unfortunately, the young ones want to behave like that without earning any income. All Nigerians, including Anambra, strongly support the EFCC.
“On one occasion, I was given one month’s invitation notice by the EFCC during its investigation of the Minting Company. I honoured the invitation and followed through with the investigation until it was eventually concluded.
“People deserve to know the end of every investigation, and we will help you produce results for our people,” he said.
Also speaking, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for expanding the financial space available to subnational governments.
Uzodinma also commended the decentralisation of EFCC operations, noting that the agency’s modern operational approach had assumed a more people-oriented character.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udende, and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, reiterated the legislature’s support for the commission and its operations.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, called for stronger preventive measures against corruption, including the introduction of anti-corruption courses into the primary school curriculum and the administration of traditional oaths of office for public officials.
In his address, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede, said the establishment of the Awka Directorate, alongside recent expansions in Ekiti and Katsina states, was aimed at broadening the commission’s institutional presence, improving access to justice and protecting legitimate economic activities.
Olukoyede said the commission was increasingly focusing on prevention, including monitoring Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) releases to safeguard public funds before they could be diverted.
He also called on communities to embrace whistleblowing and maintain vigilance over financial transactions within their jurisdictions.
The EFCC chairman assured citizens that officers of the commission were deployed strictly to enforce the law within their legal mandate and not to oppress members of the public.
According to him, the new Awka Zonal Directorate is expected to enhance intelligence gathering, accelerate the prosecution of financial crimes, safeguard public revenues and strengthen investor confidence across Anambra and Imo states and the wider South-East.
The new Directorate office complex will serve as the operational base for the EFCC’s activities in both Anambra and Imo states.
