The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says some public officers take Nigeria’s resources “every minute”, describing the scale of public corruption as a major obstacle to national development.

Olukoyede made the remarks on Thursday in Abuja at an event organised to mark the 80th birthday of Kanu Agabi, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

He said the EFCC receives more than 20,000 petitions relating to public corruption annually, describing many of the cases as troubling.

The EFCC chairman said some individuals entered public service with less than N100,000 in their bank accounts but left office after three or four years with millions of naira and dollars allegedly traced to them.

He also said some public officers accumulated large numbers of properties while in office, stressing that such practices undermined the country's development.

Olukoyede urged Nigerians to reject corruption and demand greater accountability from public officials.

He said public servants should be able to account for their activities and resources throughout their time in office, with transparency and accountability serving as key principles of public service.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu, said corruption persisted partly because of societal tolerance and weaknesses in existing systems.

Aliyu called for stronger integrity education in primary and secondary schools, particularly among younger Nigerians, to promote a culture of accountability.