The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has urged newly inducted engineering graduates in Ekiti State to uphold integrity and shun corruption in their careers.

Olukoyede gave the charge on Thursday at the induction ceremony of 45 engineering graduates of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State.

He delivered a lecture titled, Integrity, Accountability and the Fight Against Economic and Financial Crimes: Building a Culture of Transparency and Responsibility in Nigeria.

He said corruption had prevented Nigeria from translating its abundant natural and human resources into wealth and improved living conditions for its more than 200 million people.

He warned that unethical practices in the engineering profession could endanger lives and undermine national development.

He said engineers must maintain high ethical standards. He warned against practices such as falsifying records, manipulating contracts, diverting funds and approving poorly executed projects.

Where there is integrity, no public official will embezzle public funds, and where there is integrity, no engineer will certify a poorly executed project, he said.

Olukoyede also urged the graduates and other students to reject cybercrime, identity theft, internet fraud and other illicit activities. He warned that the temporary gains from criminal conduct could damage their reputations and future prospects.

He identified embezzlement, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, money laundering, illicit financial flows, terrorist financing, cyber fraud, investment and procurement fraud, bank fraud, tax evasion, economic sabotage and virtual asset fraud as manifestations of corruption in Nigeria.

He disclosed that the EFCC had secured 10,872 convictions and recovered monetary assets worth over N1.288 trillion in the last three years as part of efforts to combat economic and financial crimes.

He highlighted the establishment of the commission’s Department of Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, which examines vulnerabilities in ministries, departments and agencies, monitors budget releases and seeks to prevent fraud.

He also cited the revised Interfaith Manual presented on September 23, 2026, in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto and other religious leaders, as part of the commission’s preventive efforts.

He said the commission was also establishing a Cybercrime Research Centre at its new academy in Giri, Abuja, to strengthen research, training and fraud prevention.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Babatunde Omojola, said the induction reflected the university’s commitment to producing competent and responsible graduates.