Guardians of the Nigerian Psyche: Praising the EFCC’s Persistence and the President’s Support -By Prof. John Egbeazien Oshodi

In a landscape where many Nigerians have grown accustomed to “business as usual,” the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recently reminded the nation that persistence in public accountability still matters.

Under the leadership of Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede, the EFCC recovered N279 million connected to a 2009 contract involving the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts. Beyond the number itself, the symbolic weight of this recovery lies in the time span. Seventeen years after the original wrongdoing, the institution pursued the case and returned the funds to public hands.

The lesson here is simple but powerful. Institutions with memory can still correct past wrongs.

The Eagle, it seems, does not easily forget.

In Nigeria’s political environment, every anti corruption action is quickly surrounded by debate. Critics frequently raise the concern of selective prosecution, arguing that some individuals are targeted while others escape scrutiny. These concerns are part of the democratic conversation and deserve thoughtful attention.

At the same time, another reality must also be acknowledged with honesty.

Even when prosecutions appear politically selective, the underlying crime does not disappear. There may indeed be moments in which enforcement appears uneven or influenced by political pressures. Yet if an individual took public funds unlawfully, the act remains what it is.

In other words, even if prosecution is sometimes selective, theft itself is not selective. When someone steals public money, the existence of others who have not yet been caught does not transform the act into innocence.

The fundamental issue remains accountability.

In this particular case, N279 million that belonged to the Nigerian public has been returned. That is not political rhetoric. That is restitution.

The Role of Leadership

Anti corruption work rarely unfolds without pressure. Investigative agencies operate in environments where political influence, public expectations, and institutional limitations constantly intersect.

For this reason, leadership support becomes crucial.

When a president resists calls to remove officials who are pursuing difficult cases, it signals institutional stability. The ability of investigative agencies to continue long term cases often depends on the political space provided by national leadership.

In this sense, maintaining continuity within the EFCC leadership may be viewed as a sign that anti corruption efforts are intended to remain active rather than symbolic.

For investigators, analysts, and prosecutors within the Commission, cases such as this one represent years of effort. Evidence must be reconstructed, legal challenges must be navigated, and the work often continues long after public attention has shifted elsewhere.

Yet the recovery of public funds demonstrates that persistence can produce results.

It also sends an important psychological message to the nation: accountability may be delayed, but it does not necessarily disappear.

No Angels in the Room

Public debates about corruption often become emotionally charged. Supporters defend their allies while critics focus on perceived political motivations.

But one uncomfortable truth must remain visible.

The individuals involved in these cases are not angels.

When public funds disappear, the consequences ripple far beyond the individuals involved. Missing money translates into unfinished infrastructure, struggling schools, under equipped hospitals, and communities waiting for services that never arrive.

For ordinary Nigerians, corruption is not an abstract debate. It is experienced in daily life.

This is why the recovery of stolen resources matters. It represents more than legal enforcement. It represents a small restoration of trust between citizens and institutions.

Accountability rarely occurs all at once. It unfolds case by case, investigation by investigation, decision by decision.

Each successful recovery sends a signal that the system, imperfect as it may be, is still capable of correcting itself.

A Reflection for Youth

Societies sometimes develop a dangerous habit when corruption becomes widespread. People begin to excuse wrongdoing by saying that everyone is doing the same thing.

This logic weakens ethical systems.

If someone stole money from you personally, you would likely care less about whether others were also stealing. You would simply want justice and the return of what was taken.

Public funds operate under the same moral principle.

The path toward institutional reform begins with individual accountability. Even when the system is imperfect, refusing to hold anyone responsible guarantees that nothing improves.

Young Nigerians, in particular, must resist the temptation to normalize corruption simply because it has been present for a long time. Cultural change often begins when a new generation decides that certain behaviors will no longer be tolerated.

A Psychoafricalytic Insight

From the perspective of Psychoafricalytic Psychology, public reactions to corruption often reveal deeper psychological tensions within a society.

When corruption becomes normalized over time, communities sometimes develop defensive narratives that reduce personal responsibility. People redirect blame, minimize wrongdoing, or focus entirely on perceived political motives.

These reactions serve as psychological shields that protect individuals and groups from confronting uncomfortable truths.

Breaking this cycle requires cultural courage.

Traditional African communal systems often relied on village watchmen who protected shared resources. When communal property was misused, the goal was not merely punishment but the restoration of balance within the community.

Modern institutions can serve a similar role.

When investigative bodies pursue accountability with persistence and integrity, they help restore the moral equilibrium of the national community.

At a time when Nigeria faces growing global concern regarding corruption, governance challenges, and insecurity, visible acts of accountability from institutions such as the EFCC carry psychological significance beyond the legal outcome itself. Actions like these from the current EFCC leadership can function as a form of national therapy. They signal to both citizens and the international community that the Nigerian state still possesses mechanisms capable of confronting wrongdoing. In doing so, such efforts also help gradually restore the public image of the presidency and project a renewed commitment to institutional responsibility.

Justice does not need to be perfect in order to be meaningful. It needs to be consistent enough to remind society that public trust still matters.

In this sense, the recovery of public funds represents more than a financial correction. It represents a small step toward rebuilding confidence in Nigeria’s institutional future.

It reminds citizens that institutions can still act, that wrongdoing can still be confronted, and that the long arc of accountability has not completely disappeared from national life.

Justice may sometimes move slowly. Investigations may take years. Political debates may cloud the public conversation. Yet persistence remains one of the most powerful tools of institutional integrity.

And when persistence is combined with courage, even the longest shadows of corruption cannot hide forever.

About the Author

Prof. John Egbeazien Oshodi is an American psychologist, an expert in policing and corrections, and an educator with expertise in forensic, legal, clinical, and cross-cultural psychology, including public ethical policy. A native of Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, and son of a 37-year veteran of the Nigeria Police Force, he has long worked at the intersection of psychology, justice, and governance. In 2011, he helped introduce advanced forensic psychology to Nigeria through the National Universities Commission and Nasarawa State University, where he served as Associate Professor of Psychology.

He teaches in the Doctorate in Clinical and School Psychology at Nova Southeastern University; the Doctorate Clinical Psychology, BS Psychology, and BS Tempo Criminal Justice programs at Walden University; serves as a visiting virtual professor in the Department of Psychology at Nasarawa State University; and lectures virtually in Management and Leadership Studies at Weldios University and ISCOM University. He is also the President and Chief Psychologist at the Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological and Forensic Services, United States.

Prof. Oshodi is a Black Republican in the United States but belongs to no political party in Nigeria—his work is guided solely by justice, good governance, democracy, and Africa’s development. He is the founder of Psychoafricalysis (Psychoafricalytic Psychology), a culturally grounded framework that integrates African sociocultural realities, historical awareness, and future-oriented identity. He has authored more than 700 articles, multiple books, and numerous peer-reviewed works on Africentric psychology, higher education reform, forensic and correctional psychology, African democracy, and decolonized models of clinical and community engagement.