Nigerians have reacted to the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by President Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu approved the appointment of new EFCC on Thursday for a renewable term of four years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.
This comes nearly four months after he suspended the erstwhile anti-graft agency chief, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa.
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“Mr. Olukayode’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa,” a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, read on Thursday.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu appoints new EFCC, Chairman and Secretary of the Commission.’
Olukoyede is a lawyer with over 22 years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence.
He has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023). As such, he fulfills the statutory requirement for appointment as Chairman of the EFCC.
President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr. Muhammad Hammajoda to serve as the Secretary of the EFCC for a renewable term of five years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.
Reacting to the appointment to his Twitter handle now known X, Daniel Bwala, lawyer and writer, has faulted the appointment of Mr Ola Olukoyede as EFCC Chairman by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday.
Bwala, who was also a spokespeople for the Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate, during the 2023 general election, described the appointment as ”unlawful and illegal.”
In his response on his X platform on Thursday, Bwala said, “It runs foul of the provisions of Section 2 of the EFCC ACT which requires that the person to be appointed as EFCC Chairman must amongst other things have:
1. Been a serving or retired member of any security or law enforcement agency,
2. Must have 15 years cognate experience of law enforcement, and
3. Must not be below the rank of assistant commissioner of police
“Olukayode is a private legal practitioner and has never worked or belong to any security or law enforcement agency as a member
“He does not have 15 years cognate experience as a law enforcement officer and
“His private legal practice years cannot be equated to the rank in law enforcement. Not enough attending seminal courses as a private legal practitioner can equate to 15 years cognate experience contemplated by section 2 of the Act.
“HE ONLY HAS A STINT AS CHIEF OF STAFF OF MAGU AND LATER BECAME A SECRETARY OF THE COMMISSION, ALL OF WHICH LAST FOR LESS THAN 6 YEARS
“This government never cease to amaze Nigerians. Who knows, maybe he is being appointed for a mission. God help Nigeria.”
‘‘The chairman shall be responsible for the investigation of all financial crimes including advance fee fraud, money laundering, counterfeiting, illegal charge transfers, futures market fraud, fraudulent encashment of negotiable instruments, computer credit card fraud, contract scam, etc.
Ola Olukoyede is a lawyer with over 22 years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence.
That Naija Guy @ThatNaijaGuy001 wrote ‘‘The appointment of Olukayode as the new EFCC Chairman so clearly violates Section 2 of the EFCC Act? His background as a private lawyer does not meet the clear stipulations set out in the EFCC Act. Tinubu by this appointment is setting yet another dangerous precedent. As expected an illegitimate govt can never be trusted to follow the law. This systemic disregard for the rule of law, is a slippery slope that will consume the soul of Nigeria.
Ikechukwu Ude penned in his X ‘‘The only issue I have is that even the most qualified police or military officers appointed by previous administration leaved very below acceptable standard. It’s even better a none force head that corrupt organization. Police and military have failed.’’
