I’ll support your constructive ventures, Olukoyede tells youths
Omeiza Bilal
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has pledged his support and commitment to constructive ventures of young Nigerians as part of the Commission’s efforts at curbing internet fraud contagion among youths.
He made the pledge at the 2025 grand finale of the Sensitization Against Drug Abuse, SADA, Football Cup Competition, held on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at the Turf Arena Sports Center, Riverplate Park, Wuse 2, Abuja.
The EFCC Chairman, who was represented by the Head of Enlightenment and Reorientation Unit, Aisha Mohammed, stated that the Commission was focused on evolving productive ventures in which the youths could channel their energies rather than on internet fraud, noting that while the EFCC continues to discourage young Nigerians from engaging in cybercrime, it was necessary to provide them with positive alternatives.
“What the EFCC does is to engage the youth and guide them onto the path of worthy and sustainable enterprises. If you tell them to stop cybercrime, I tell them of alternatives. And what is better than sports? Sports is a redefining factor for us as Nigerians,” he said.
Besides supporting an initiative like the SADA Football Cup, Olukoyede disclosed that the Commission planned to explore further collaboration with the Young Entrepreneurs Summit Africa, YESA to promote awareness on internet fraud and drug abuse, which he said are often interconnected and required sustained sensitization and reorientation efforts.
While noting that the battle against internet fraud remains a big challenge to the EFCC, the Commission, he observed, deploys outreach programmes such as Integrity Clubs in secondary schools and Zero Tolerance Clubs in tertiary institutions to educate young people on the dangers of corruption and financial crimes. Other tools he disclosed are musical events and football matches, which are under the purview of the Commission’s Sports Committee.
