...says laziness, greed drive cybercrime
Ola Olukoyede, executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has urged Nigerian youths to reject internet fraud and embrace honesty, hard work, and ethical standards as they prepare to take up leadership roles in the future.
Olukoyede made the call on Monday, during an orientation and sensitisation programme organised for new students of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Nigerian Air Force, Mando, Kaduna, for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Represented by Nana Abubakar, chief superintendent of the EFCC of the Public Affairs Department, Kaduna Zonal Directorate, Olukoyede delivered a lecture titled “The Dangers of Cybercrime”, where he highlighted the risks and long-term consequences of internet fraud.
According to him, there is no shortcut to genuine success.
He stressed that hard work, perseverance, and integrity remain the surest routes to sustainable prosperity, while the pursuit of quick wealth through fraudulent means often leads to imprisonment, loss of reputation, depression, or even death.
“The desire to get rich quickly has destroyed many promising lives. True wealth is built over time through honesty and commitment”, Olukoyede warned.
The EFCC boss expressed concern that Nigerian youths constitute the majority of perpetrators of cybercrime, even though the internet offers legitimate opportunities to earn a living and make meaningful contributions to society.
He identified peer pressure, greed, laziness, and lack of patriotism as major drivers of youth involvement in online fraud.
Olukoyede also noted that drug abuse and fetish practices have increasingly become intertwined with cybercrime activities, posing additional social and moral dangers.
He urged the students to resist such vices and instead use their talents to create innovative and legal means of earning income.
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He further encouraged them to join the anti-corruption crusade by reporting any suspicious financial or economic crimes to the EFCC through the Commission’s Eagle Eye App, a platform designed to protect the anonymity of whistleblowers.
“The future of this country rests on the shoulders of the youth. By choosing integrity and rejecting corruption, you secure not just your future, but that of our nation”, he added.
According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, the sensitization programme is part of the EFCC’s ongoing effort to educate young Nigerians about the dangers of cybercrime and promote a culture of integrity across schools and tertiary institutions nationwide.
