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The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has charged the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the North West Development Commission (NWDC), Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, to pursue the commission’s regional development mandate with diligence, accountability and transparency.
Olukoyede gave the charge on Wednesday during a courtesy visit by Ma’aji and other senior officials of the NWDC to the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
“I encourage you to be committed to that mandate. It’s a big mandate,” Olukoyede said, noting that regional development commissions were created to enable each geopolitical zone to develop at its own pace.
“We want to see progress within the next one year after releases have been made to you for your budget.
“We want to see tangible developmental projects that you have put in place so that the trust that the government and the people of Nigeria have in you will not be betrayed,” he added.
He stressed the importance of accountability and transparency in the commission’s operations, urging the NWDC leadership to adopt preventive measures against financial mismanagement from the outset.
“From day one, don’t sign any document that you are not sure of. Do your profiling very well; know whom you are employing as executive directors, particularly in charge of procurement of goods and services,” he said.
Olukoyede reminded the NWDC boss that, as chief accounting officer, ultimate responsibility rests with him. “Whatever they do, scrutinize in the spirit of transparency. Prevention is better than cure,” he added.
The EFCC chairman assured the NWDC of the commission’s readiness to collaborate, emphasising a partnership anchored on integrity and sustained compliance.
“We are ready on our part to work with you in the spirit of collaboration and to ensure that you start on a very good note and maintain the tempo,” he said.
In his response, Professor Ma’aji sought a structured partnership with the EFCC to ensure the NWDC remains on track from inception.
He said the commission was established to drive coordinated socio-economic development across the North West through infrastructure delivery, social interventions, economic empowerment and institutional strengthening.
“As a new public institution entrusted with significant public resources, the Commission recognises that transparency, accountability and strong internal controls are fundamental to achieving its mandate and sustaining public confidence,” Ma’aji said.
He described the EFCC as critical not only to enforcement but also to prevention and institutional strengthening.
The NWDC chief explained that the proposed collaboration would focus on preventive advisory support and capacity building to entrench sound financial management and compliance systems.
“This is to ensure that we don’t start on the wrong footing,” he said, adding that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s broader governance reform objectives to ensure value for money and insulate institutions from financial misconduct and reputational risk.
Don’t sign documents you’re not sure of – Olukoyede advises NWDC leadership
