The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has raised alarm over a growing trend where public officials make false “anticipatory” asset declarations to conceal future acts of corruption.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at the launch of a Virtual Tool on the Code of Conduct for Public Officers—an initiative of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in partnership with the Technical Unit on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR)—Olukoyede described the scheme as a sophisticated ploy to launder stolen wealth.
According to him, the practice involves declaring ownership of non-existent properties or other assets that officials plan to acquire illegally. He recounted an EFCC investigation where a politically exposed person listed a property valued at over N3 billion in a CCB form—years before the property was even built.
“This is how some criminally smart individuals try to give legitimacy to assets they intend to acquire through corrupt means,” Olukoyede said, urging the CCB to intensify monitoring and adopt innovative methods to combat the trend.
Also at the event, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, stressed that ethical conduct and strict adherence to rules remain the foundation of effective public service. He praised the new CCB virtual tool as a major step in promoting preventive compliance through technology.
Head of Service, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, added that technology offers faster, smarter, and more transparent governance, noting that the tool’s accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and transparency would help track compliance.
CCB Chairman, Abdullahi Usman Bello, explained that the platform is designed to be user-friendly while strengthening accountability, ensuring that public officers understand and comply with the regulations guiding their conduct.
