Lawyer and public affairs commentator Deji Adeyanju has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to pay closer attention to the revenues received by state governments and how the funds are being spent.

Adeyanju made the call while reacting to recent figures released by the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, detailing the commission’s recoveries and convictions between October 2023 and June 2026.

According to Olukoyede, the anti-graft agency recovered more than N1.23tn, $684.48m, £373,905.78 and €9.34m during the period. He also said N661.32bn and $492.37m had been released to beneficiaries within the period under review.

The EFCC chairman further disclosed that the commission secured 10,872 convictions from 14,476 cases filed during the period.

Reacting to the figures in a statement on Monday, Adeyanju commended the EFCC for what he described as progress in the fight against economic and financial crimes.

He said the figures showed that sustained efforts could produce tangible results and encouraged the commission to maintain its momentum.

But Adeyanju said the anti-corruption campaign should not focus only on recovering money allegedly stolen in the past.

He argued that preventing the diversion of public resources should also be a major part of the EFCC’s work.

According to him, the removal of the petrol subsidy has resulted in increased revenues and fiscal inflows to state governments, making it necessary for citizens to have greater visibility into how those funds are being used.

Adeyanju said the EFCC should, within its statutory mandate, pay closer attention to credible allegations involving the diversion or misuse of public resources.

He also called for authorities to follow public funds from the point at which they are allocated to the point where they are eventually spent.

The lawyer’s position places emphasis on prevention rather than relying solely on investigations and recoveries after alleged financial crimes have already occurred.

Adeyanju said the EFCC’s recent achievements deserved commendation but argued that recoveries alone would not be enough to win the wider fight against corruption.

The call comes amid continuing public debate over the management of government revenues and the need for greater transparency in the use of public resources.

State governments receive funds from several sources, including allocations and internally generated revenue, while their administrations are responsible for financing infrastructure, salaries, social programmes and other public services.

Adeyanju’s argument is that increased government revenue should be accompanied by stronger scrutiny of expenditure.

The EFCC has continued to publicise recoveries and convictions as part of its campaign against economic and financial crimes.

Olukoyede’s latest figures indicate the scale of the commission’s activities since October 2023, including thousands of convictions and substantial financial recoveries.

Adeyanju welcomed those figures but said the agency should also focus on preventing future losses.

His call therefore shifts attention from the recovery of allegedly diverted funds to the monitoring of public resources before misuse occurs.

He maintained that Nigerians have a legitimate interest in knowing how additional revenues received by governments are applied.

The EFCC has not indicated that all increased state revenues are subject to investigation or that state governments as a group have been accused of wrongdoing.

Adeyanju’s comments were instead framed as a call for closer scrutiny of credible allegations involving the misuse or diversion of public funds.

The debate is likely to remain part of Nigeria’s broader conversation about fiscal transparency, accountability and the effectiveness of anti-corruption institutions.