ICAN Hails Olukoyede’s Anti-Corruption Drive, Seeks Deeper Partnership with EFCC

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has applauded the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, for what it described as impactful and confidence-boosting results in Nigeria’s fight against corruption.

ICAN President and Chairman, Mr. Haruna Yahaya, gave the commendation on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, in Abuja, when he led members of the Institute’s management team on a courtesy visit to Olukoyede at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters.

Yahaya praised the EFCC Chairman for achievements that go beyond statistics, noting that the Commission’s record under his leadership reflects renewed international confidence in Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture. He cited unprecedented asset recoveries running into hundreds of billions of naira, including high-value properties, and thousands of convictions secured through diligent investigations and effective prosecutions.

According to him, Olukoyede’s emphasis on professionalism and international cooperation has strengthened Nigeria’s global financial credibility and contributed significantly to the country’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List. He said the milestone sends a strong signal to citizens, investors and the international community that accountability and integrity are once again central to Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.

“We salute the courage, discipline and clarity of purpose that your leadership represents,” Yahaya said, adding that the EFCC Chairman deserves commendation for restoring confidence in the administration of justice.

The ICAN President proposed six key areas of collaboration with the EFCC, including forensic accounting and financial investigation, capacity building and specialised training, joint programmes on anti-money laundering, compliance, data analytics, cryptocurrency investigation and emerging fraud typologies. Other areas include expert witness and litigation support, public sector financial oversight and early warning systems, research and policy advisory support, as well as ethics, prevention and public awareness.

Yahaya stressed that the fight against economic and financial crimes is most effective when law enforcement agencies work closely with professional accountants, noting that deep financial intelligence and ethical discipline leave corruption with fewer places to hide.

In his response, Olukoyede welcomed the proposed partnership, describing collaboration with ICAN as imperative to the EFCC’s mandate of building a Nigeria free from financial crimes and corruption. He disclosed plans to set up a joint committee to define the framework of the collaboration and develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The EFCC Chairman emphasised the growing importance of forensic accounting in investigations and prosecutions, particularly the need for expert witnesses drawn from professional bodies such as ICAN.

However, Olukoyede expressed concern over what he described as the troubling role of some accounting professionals as enablers of corruption. He cited cases where chartered accountants were involved in major financial crimes, including pension fraud and the prosecution of a former Accountant-General of the Federation.

He challenged ICAN to undertake an internal rebirth by enforcing professional ethics and discipline, disclosing that the EFCC would provide the Institute with a list of members who have been indicted, prosecuted or convicted for financial crimes but were neither suspended nor delisted.

“We need to discourage such bad eggs,” Olukoyede said, adding that professional bodies must ensure that ethical standards are upheld to prevent professionals from lending credibility to corruption.

The visit ended with mutual commitments by both institutions to strengthen collaboration in order to deepen accountability, professionalism and integrity in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight.