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…Inaugurates Key Economic, Infra Projects In Ado-Ekiti
ABUJA – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday, stated vehemently that corruption will have no refuge under his administration, just as he reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening anti-corruption institutions and ensuring accountability across public and private sectors.
This is as he commissioned major economic and infrastructural projects in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, as part of his one-day working visit to the state.
The completed projects inaugurated by the president include the new Zonal Directorate Office Complex of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) along Old Iyin Road in Ado-Ekiti, as well as the 1.2-kilometer flyover named after him at Okeyinmi, which serves as a major infrastructure milestone to ease traffic in the state capital.
The Nigerian leader, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, on the working visit to the state also performed the groundbreaking for the Ekiti Knowledge Zone (EKZ), aimed at driving long-term technology, innovation, and economic development in the state.
Speaking during the commissioning of the EFCC Zonal Directorate Office Complex, President Tinubu issued a blunt notice to corrupt officials in the country, warning that his administration will pursue the anti-graft war without retreat, describing the new EFCC facility as a strategic investment in institutional capacity, public trust and national development.
“The message is clear: there are no hiding places for the corrupt. Nigeria will not tolerate graft, and such conduct will be punished under our laws,” he stated.
The president restated his firm resolve to actively pursue domestic fiscal reforms and overhaul Nigeria’s financial architecture to ensure the execution of programmes aimed at removing economic distortions, stabilising macroeconomic indicators, and restoring investor confidence.
President Tinubu said Nigeria’s long-term prosperity depends on the credibility of its public institutions, warning that development becomes impossible when corruption obstructs the relationship between citizens and the state.
“Nigeria’s future rests on the strength of the institutions we build and the faith we invest in them. No nation can rise above the integrity of its public systems because development is defeated when corruption is allowed to stand between citizens and the promises of the state,” the president said.
He noted that the EFCC was established to protect the economy from criminal enterprises and preserve public confidence in governance, adding that government would continue to provide the institutional support required for the commission to carry out its mandate effectively.
Commending the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, and members of the commission, President Tinubu praised their persistence and professionalism in advancing Nigeria’s anti-corruption agenda.
According to him, the fight against corruption cannot succeed through rhetoric alone but requires strong institutions, modern facilities and operational support.
“Our administration considers it important that law enforcement agencies, which are critical to our collective safety, security, prosperity and general well-being, should have the necessary facilities to enhance their efficiency,” he said.
The president expressed confidence that the commissioning of the Ekiti Zonal Directorate Office Complex would strengthen the commission’s effectiveness and encourage officers to intensify efforts against economic and financial crimes.
He described anti-corruption agencies as strategic partners in the administration’s broader economic reform and national security agenda.
President Tinubu highlighted recent outcomes achieved by the EFCC, including actions against cyber-enabled financial crime, illicit financial flows and organised criminal networks.
He cited the commission’s dismantling of a foreign-controlled cryptocurrency syndicate in Lagos, along with other enforcement actions, as evidence of growing institutional capacity and improved coordination in tackling financial crime.
The president also linked anti-corruption efforts to economic recovery and investor confidence, noting that recovered assets have contributed to expanding support for government intervention programmes.
“Through aggressive asset tracing and recovery, the commission has made resources available for critical social investment programmes such as the Student Loan Scheme, NELFUND and CREDICORP,” he said.
Earlier, Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, said the creation of the Ekiti Zonal Directorate will address longstanding operational challenges affecting both Ekiti and Ondo states, as well as improve the speed and efficiency of investigations and prosecutions.
He described the inauguration as a major milestone in the commission’s efforts to decentralise operations and bring anti-corruption enforcement closer to the people, stating that “the edifice we are ‘commissioning’ today is the crystallisation of a unique vision in institution-building and consolidation.”
On his part, Governor Oyebanji said the state government provided enough support for the zonal office, including office accommodation and a 220KVA standby generator, as part of its commitment to transparency, accountability and inter-governmental collaboration.
He noted that the establishment of the zonal office has fulfilled the promise made by the state government after the EFCC expressed interest in situating a directorate in Ekiti.
Performs Groundbreaking For Ekiti Knowledge Zone
Earlier on arrival in the state, Vice President Shettima, on behalf of President Tinubu, performed the groundbreaking of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone (EKZ) in Ekiti State, saying the project aligns with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reflects the administration’s commitment to expanding opportunity through education, technology and innovation.
He noted that Nigeria’s long-term prosperity will depend less on natural resources and increasingly on the country’s ability to invest in knowledge, innovation and human capital.
The president said the policy programmes of his administration are turning the country away from dependency and brain drain, toward an economy powered by innovation, human capital, and homegrown enterprise.
The Nigerian leader described Ekiti as one of Nigeria’s strongest symbols of intellectual achievement and educational aspiration, even as he said across the country, Ekiti has earned a reputation for producing generations of scholars and demonstrating the transformative power of education.
“Ekiti is known not for the accident of mineral wealth, but for the discipline of the mind; not for inherited privilege, but for the stubborn faith that education is the ladder by which ordinary families climb into history,” the vice president said.
The president expressed appreciation to the African Development Bank (AfDB) for supporting the initiative, saying the institution’s involvement reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s human capital potential and the development possibilities within subnational economies.
