“Ex-Convicts Can’t Be President or Governor” – EFCC Boss Warns Youths on Internet Fraud

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has cautioned Nigerian youths—especially National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members—against internet fraud, warning that criminal convictions permanently block opportunities for leadership, travel, and career growth.

Olukoyede, speaking through senior EFCC officials during an anti-corruption campaign across NYSC orientation camps nationwide, said that ex-convicts are barred from holding political offices such as president or governor and are often denied visas by foreign embassies.

At the Iyana-Ipaja NYSC Orientation Camp in Lagos, Babatunde Sulaiman, Head of Public Affairs for EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, told Batch B, Stream 1 corps members that cybercrime is a fast track to lifelong setbacks.

“Internet fraudsters are being convicted in multiples and wearing tags of ex-convicts. This is a roadblock to future advancements,” Sulaiman said on behalf of the EFCC chairman. “No serious organisation, nationally or internationally, will entrust leadership to someone with a criminal record.”

In Bayelsa State’s Kaiama camp, Assistant Superintendent of EFCC II, Otagada Sunday Ogar, stressed that corruption is at the root of Nigeria’s challenges.

“As young Nigerians, you can only shape tomorrow by changing today. If we desire an open tomorrow, we must not close our prospects today,” he urged.

The anti-graft campaign also reached camps in Rivers, Oyo, Kano, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Enugu, Makurdi, Uyo, and other states, with EFCC officers calling on corps members to serve as “foot soldiers” in the fight against economic and financial crimes.

In Oyo State, EFCC Superintendent Olumide Egbodofo encouraged whistleblowing and grassroots awareness:

“You need to be deliberate in rejecting corrupt practices and work with the EFCC to spread the anti-corruption message.”

The EFCC maintained that avoiding internet fraud is not just a moral choice—it is a decisive step in protecting one’s future opportunities at home and abroad.