The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has recorded a major milestone in the development of its New Academy at Giri, Abuja, with the completion and commissioning of an access road to the permanent site.
Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, on Monday, June 30, 2025, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for their strategic roles in making the road project a reality.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Commission, Mohammed Hammajoda, at the commissioning ceremony, Olukoyede described the access road as a critical infrastructure that will accelerate the take-off of the New EFCC Academy project and significantly enhance the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate.
“With this road now in place, work will resume fully on the development of the New EFCC Academy, which is envisioned as a Centre of Excellence in financial crimes enforcement, training, and research,” he said.
He further disclosed that the Academy would house a Cybercrime Research Centre, among other specialised facilities, adding that the project remained one of the Commission’s top priorities in building institutional capacity and knowledge-based enforcement.
“This road not only provides vital access to the EFCC Academy; it is a strategic enabler for training anti-corruption officers who will sustain the momentum of the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” he said.
The EFCC Chairman recounted the major challenge the Commission faced in accessing the site before the intervention of the FCT Minister. “We were actually at a loss on how to navigate this challenge until the Honourable Minister of the FCT came to our rescue. He not only promised to construct the road, he delivered the project in record time,” he said.
He also acknowledged the role played by the leadership of the National Assembly and other stakeholders who supported the Commission in bringing the project to fruition.
In his remarks, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas, described the road project as a symbol of inclusive governance and national integration. He lauded the FCT Minister for aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.
“The road we commissioned here today in Giri District is more than an access way; it is a bridge of inclusion, a signal of recognition, and an instrument of national unity,” the President said.
According to him, the road reflects his government’s commitment to balanced development across the Federal Capital Territory. “These newly constructed access roads are not just infrastructural achievements; they are statements of intent, the intention to open up Giri District and the FCT. They show that under this administration, no community is too small, no area too distant, no citizen too insignificant to benefit from the dividends of democracy”, he said.
Also speaking at the event, Wike assured that development in Giri would not end with the construction of the access road. He revealed that relevant departments of the FCT Administration have been directed to commence planning for internal road networks and other supporting infrastructure.
“This Giri District, of course, has to be developed like every other district. What we have done, having created this access road; is instruct the Executive Secretary of the FCDA and other relevant agencies to start working out details on how we’re going to develop the roads within the district,” he said.
He noted that the EFCC would be the primary beneficiary of the road project, as it opens the way for the full-scale development of its Academy. “Like the Chairman said, they will now start the Academy immediately because they now have an access road that will allow them to move equipment and begin development. Once that happens, you’ll see others following suit and developing their own parts of the area,” he said.
