EFCC: CSOs and others plan Olukoyede’s agenda amidst controversy

The appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, was last week authorised by President Bola Tinubu.

Subject to Senate confirmation, the appointment is made for a four-year initial term that is renewable.

Olukoyede’s appointment as the EFCC’s new director comes roughly four months after Tinubu terminated Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa as the organization’s previous leader.

Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said in a statement, “Mr. Olukayode’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.

Being in charge of the nation’s anti-corruption body has frequently been viewed as dangerous. No EFCC chairperson has ever experienced an easy time in the history of this position, according to OBASANJO NEWS24.

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Additionally, it has been claimed that current presidents have used the office as a tool to strike political rivals.

Olukoyede has the difficult task of rebranding the agency, especially in light of recent commission practises that were widely regarded as archaic and out-of-date and involved late-night home raids and media trials.

According to OBASANJO NEWS24, the commission has come under fire for not conducting early morning searches on the houses of notable people or politicians.

Additionally, several Nigerians have proposed that the EFCC change its strategy to one that is more technology-driven. This, they claimed, would result in more well-known people—particularly those with political clout—being held accountable for their involvement in the theft of the country’s resources.

Olu Omotayo, the president of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), told OBASANJO NEWS24 in an interview that Nigerians were hoping the new EFCC chief would bring the agency back to sanity and win the people’s trust.

Omotayo, a legal expert, expressed regret that the EFCC had begun to function similarly to other security organisations.

He objected to the agency’s practise of requesting donations from the public before opening an inquiry, adamant that the EFCC could not combat corruption with such a tactic.

The legal expert encouraged Olukoyede and the EFCC to sharpen their focus and reclaim their former grandeur so that the public could have faith in them.

He believed that the EFCC should allow the poor to walk in, file a complaint, and have it looked into.

He responded, “Well, whether it can reclaim the lost glory, we expect him to take EFCC back. When the EFCC first began, they would look into complaints after they were filed, which is something I have personally witnessed. You weren’t asked to bring something in order to motivate us. They are currently conducting an inquiry based on that complaint.

But the EFCC currently functions similarly to other security organisations. They don’t conduct any inquiries. I’ve witnessed cases where a group fighting corruption asks for mobilisation from the public. You cannot combat corruption using that approach or that kind of operation.

“When Nuhu Ribadu was in charge, you could go there and file a complaint whether you had money or not, and they would take action; nobody asked you to provide Kobo.

But there was now a problem for which I even petitioned the EFCC. In fact, my client even thought they had been compromised because the subject was in their legal department.

“The matter after investigation was delayed in the legal session for more than eight months before I began writing to the Chairman and asking, ‘The matter that was investigated, why were they holding on to it’? Before the EFCC permitted the case to be brought before the court, I even spoke at a news conference.

“As a result, we need them to sharpen their focus and reclaim their former glory, so that the public can have faith in them and know that anyone, regardless of wealth, may approach the EFCC, lodge a complaint, and it will be looked at.

“I’m hoping this man (Olukoyede) would bring the EFCC back to its former sanity and public confidence.

“In my opinion, we will discover the man’s destination in the next months. Depending on who is in charge of the agency, there may be political intervention.

“This thing will not happen if the person is resolved to fight corruption, he is determined to be upright and do what’s just. Because those who work with him understand that they risk being let go if they falter in their duties or investigations.

“The EFCC chairman can reorient the staff members working with him since you can’t keep up your current practises and expect different results. He should establish a reputation for himself and strive to emulate Ribadu’s early investigative methods, which were proactive regardless of the party you supported.

“Since we anticipate his doing that, we will be able to assess his performance in the coming months.

He should be aware that he is being watched simply because he holds that position. If he is crooked, you cannot maintain him in that position since everyone has a set term.

“All of us thought that Bawa would perform better because he is a young man, but in the end, he messed up the whole situation by having many accounts and spending his entire family on vacations in Saudi Arabia while working as a civil servant, when everyone knows your salary.

“I believe that the people of Nigeria are becoming more conscious of their right to expect accountability from the government. We’ll keep an eye on him, and everyone will be looking to the agency to see how the man performs.

Comrade Joseph Chinedu, president of the civil rights organisation Triple Seal Global Initiative for Peace, also spoke to OBASANJO NEWS24. Chinedu tasked the new EFCC chief with attracting foreign direct investment by cracking down on internet fraud and all forms of corruption. Chinedu also urged Olukoyede to use his experience and skills to track looted funds and develop strategies to nip looting of the public treasury in the bud.

He also cautioned against attempting to partisanize Olukoyede’s appointment as the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, and emphasised that the battle against corruption must be free of partisan politics.

“A man cannot be faulted for not being competent to manage the EFCC given his significant career as a certified fraud examiner, directing and managing the investment, which includes civil litigation of fraud and financial crimes for international development projects.

Nigeria has stopped using every appointment as an opportunity to play politics.

“The nation desperately needs effective leadership and resource management. Support is required for the government to go in the direction of progress.

He said, “The new EFCC chairman should be encouraged instead of wasting energy on his qualification, which is more likely the result of insufficient understanding and pure politics.

For his part, Dada Olayinka Olabode, a spokesman for the Forum of State Chairmen of the NNPP, recommended the new EFCC Chairman to not politicking his position by separating himself from politicians.

Olabode had a telephone interview with OBASANJO NEWS24 on Tuesday.

He repeatedly emphasised how important it is for the commission’s workers to receive new training and refresher courses in how to stop corruption before it starts.

He believed that the Chairman of the Commission should see to it that swift legal action was taken against dishonest citizens and government officials.

The new EFCC Chairman needs to distance himself from politicians in order to prevent politicking his position, he added.

Professionalism must be the primary value he prioritises over other interests, in contrast to his predecessors who only got involved when politics was imminent and turned the agency into a political witch-hunting agency.

“Commission employees need to receive new training and refresher courses in how to stop corruption before it starts.

“Corrupt officials and individuals must be brought to court quickly to prevent them from eluding punishment because of their political allegiances and the patronage of the new administration, with which they may have realigned to avoid prosecution.

“Under his direction, the commission should see to it that anti-corruption courts are set up so that corrupt people may be tried quickly.

In order to combat corruption both inside and outside of Nigeria, “inter-agency collaboration on intelligence sharing, apprehension of culprits, confiscation of properties acquired with ill-gotten proceeds, and repatriation of stolen funds should be enhanced.”

Olukoyede’s appointment as the head of the EFCC has since sparked debate concerning his suitability for the position.

Some others thought Olukoyede, a lawyer, lacked the qualifications required by the law creating the EFCC to serve as its chairman.

In response to the appointment, one of them, Daniel Bwala, a leader of the People’s Democratic Party, had called it “illegal and unlawful,” adding that it “runs afoul of the provisions of Section 2 of the EFCC Act.”

Bwala asserts that the Act mandates that the EFCC Chairman’s qualifications include having been “a serving or retired member of any security or law enforcement agency, having 15 years of relevant experience in law enforcement, and not being below the rank of assistant commissioner of police.”

Olukayode is a private attorney who has never worked for or been a member of a security or law enforcement organisation, according to Bwala.

However, Olukoyede’s qualifications have been disputed by legal expert and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana.

Falana clarified that the appointment was acceptable, pointing out that Olukoyede was more than qualified to lead the EFCC.

The legal expert claimed that his primary concern was whether the appointment complied with national legislation regarding the federal character concept.

While appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily broadcast over the course of the week, Falana stated.

“No, there’s no problem there,” he responded. The federal character commission legislation that is in place in this nation is the sole concern that has been brought up that, in my opinion, the government should take into account. Additionally, nominations must reflect the federal character of the government under section 14 of the constitution.

“Therefore, the heads of the EFCC and ICPC cannot come from the same zone. If there are two open positions in the public sector in this nation, one must be filled there, and the other must come from the south.

“Two must go north and two must go south if there are four. If there are six, one must visit each of the nation’s geopolitical regions. In Nigeria, that is currently the law.

“As of right now, I don’t feel comfortable with the EFCC and ICPC heads hailing from the same zone. In addition, Mr. Olukoyede possesses all the necessary qualifications to lead the EFCC.

“My colleagues who have opposed the appointment have not examined the pertinent EFCC legislation provisions, including section two, which stipulates that the Chairman must be at least an Assistant Commissioner of Police or its equivalent in the security service or law enforcement agency.

“In the case of Mr. Olukoyede, he served as the Chairman of the EFCC’s Chief of Staff. A board member by virtue of his position as the Commission’s Secretary, he has also served as that body’s Secretary.

“At the moment, some claim that he hasn’t gained the relevant experience. The legislation does not require that the agency have analogous experience.

The focus of the debate will now pass to the Senate, which is constitutionally empowered to approve or disapprove Olukoyede’s appointment.