By Dipo Alaje
Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Pastor Ola Olukoyede, has been appointed Pastor in Charge of Lagos Province 137 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, headquartered at RCCG City of Refuge, Akowonjo, Lagos.
Our correspondent gathered that he was given his letter of appointment during the August convention of the church. He will resume his new position this September, which marks the start of the new calendar year for the RCCG.
Prior to this appointment, Pastor Olukoyede served for about four years as Assistant Pastor in Charge of Province (Christian Social Responsibility) in RCCG Lagos Province 90.
Pastor Olukoyede, who studied law at both Lagos State University and the University of Lagos, has been a long-standing member of the RCCG, rising through the ranks to his present position.
A provincial pastor in the RCCG oversees about six to ten zones. A zone consists of roughly three areas, and an area comprises about five parishes. Thus, a provincial pastor manages between 30 and 50 parishes, depending on the province.
As EFCC Chairman, Pastor Olukoyede has consistently emphasized the importance of prevention in the fight against corruption. He believes people should be educated through lectures addressing corrupt practices before they occur, rather than relying solely on prosecution and asset recovery.
Achievements
Under his leadership, the EFCC has recorded significant achievements in asset recovery and convictions. However, critics argue the agency is being used as a tool of victimization by the government—a position he vehemently rejects.
One of his most high-profile cases involves former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who was charged over alleged financial fraud totaling ₦80.2 billion and ₦110 billion. Olukoyede publicly pledged to see the case through, and legal proceedings remain ongoing.
He launched a sweeping investigation into the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, interrogating suspended minister Betta Edu and linking 15 senior staff members to a broader systemic diversion of social intervention funds.
Also he shifted the EFCC’s focus toward immediate 72-hour asset freezes and civil forfeitures under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, enabling the recovery of assets without waiting years for protracted criminal trials. Olukoyede established a national confiscation wallet for seized virtual assets and targeted public officials siphoning funds using offshore cryptocurrency wallets and illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platforms.
Through these efforts, the EFCC chairman has secured hundreds of billions of naira alongside millions in hard currency recovered from diverted public procurement contracts and cyber-enabled fraud schemes.
Many believe his appointment as provincial pastor is a recognition of his service to the church and his conduct as a Christian in public office. Despite his religious background, he has not shied away from investigating faith leaders.
Jerry Eze investigation
At the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja in April, he revealed that he had investigated Pastor Jerry Eze (Lead Pastor of Streams of Joy International and convener of NSPPD) for six months over suspected money laundering, though no evidence of fraud was found. He explained that the commission flagged suspicious activity based on petitions and intelligence after noticing massive, high-frequency foreign currency inflows into a domiciliary account.
According to him, foreign currencies were “dropping like raindrops” from various countries, including the US, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Togo. However, the commission discovered that all the funds were legitimate donations tied to Pastor Eze’s global ministry and charity work.
Olukoyede recounted that after the probe concluded, he invited Pastor Eze to his office. Seeing Eze dressed casually in a T-shirt and baggy trousers, he jokingly thought about asking him to call his senior bishop before clarifying: “I didn’t call you here to explain to me. We’ve already done our work. I called you here to commend you.”