On October 12, 2023, the President appointed Olukoyede and Hammajoda to serve as the anti-graft agency’s chair and secretary, respectively, pending Senate approval.
Ola Olukoyede, a candidate for chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Muhammad Hammajoda, a candidate for secretary of the commission, are currently in the Senate for consideration and confirmation.
On October 12, 2023, the President appointed Olukoyede and Hammajoda to serve as the commission’s chair and secretary, respectively, pending approval by the Senate.
Since the new president took office on May 29, 2023, there has been a shakeup in the top ranks of the nation’s primary anti-corruption organisation.
The President placed Abdulrasheed Bawa on indefinite leave as the head of the anti-graft agency on June 14, 2023. Bawa was placed on administrative leave “to allow for a proper investigation into his conduct while in office”. The move was taken in response to “weighty” claims of office abuse made against him.
The President then gave Abdulkarim Chukkol, the Director of Operations at the Commission, the order to take over as acting chair of the EFCC while the Department of State Services (DSS) detained Bawa.
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Olukoyede, on the other hand, is now the new head of the commission following his appointment on Thursday.
According to Olukoyede’s appointment, which is subject to Senate confirmation, it is initially for a term of four years that is renewable.
He added that, subject to Senate confirmation, the President named Hammajoda to the position of Secretary of the EFCC for an initial term of five years that might be renewed.
Criticisms
Olukoyede, a lawyer, had been appointed despite harsh criticisms that he was unqualified to run the country’s top anti-graft organisation since he was not an Assistant Commissioner of Police, according to several experts and prominent attorneys.
Although Olukoyede has 22 years of relevant experience and has previously held the positions of Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023) and Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman (2016-2018), Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, asserted on Monday that Olukoyede is “eminently qualified” to lead the commission.
The senior attorney, however, asserted that the Independent Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) chairman should be from the southern region if the EFCC chairman is from the northern zone.
Olukoyede and Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), the ICPC Chairman at the time who has held the position since February 2019, were both from the South-West geopolitical zone as of Monday.
On the other hand, the President said on Tuesday that Owasanoye would continue on pre-tenure leave, which was a significant change. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Jigawa State, Dr. Musa Aliyu, was subsequently chosen by the President to lead the ICPC.
