The Senate on Wednesday, October 18 screened and confirmed Ola Olukoyede and Muhammad Hammajoda for appointment as Chairman and Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The confirmation followed their nomination by President Bola Tinubu on October 12.
Some analysts have argued that Mr. Olukoyede does not possess the statutory qualifications for the office. This is in reference to section 2(1)(a) of the EFCC Act which provides as follows:
A chairman, who shall –
(i) be the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Commission.
(ii) be a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent; and
(iii) Possess not less than 15 years cognate experience
According to them, Olukoyede’s experience in regulatory compliance, fraud management and corporate intelligence and his previous appointments as Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman between 2016 and 2018, and Secretary to the Commission between 2018 and 2023 are not sufficient fulfillment of the requirement for a minimum of 15 years’ experience in a government security or law enforcement agency. Even the duration of his appointment as Secretary to the Commission has come under question, with the Presidency stating that he served in that capacity until 2023 and media reports showing that he was suspended alongside former Acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu in 2020 and replaced by George Ekpungu.
Olukoyede however has an equal number of supporters who insist on his being qualified and who argue that there has been no gain for the anti-corruption efforts of government with the constant appointment of ex-police personnel as Chairmen of the Commission.
According to the Presidency, the nomination of a new Chairman was necessitated by the resignation of the immediate past Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa. It will be recalled that President Tinubu suspended Bawa from office by in June 2023, shortly after assuming office for allegations of abuse of office and called for an investigation into his conduct while in office. However, not much has been heard of Bawa since his suspension from office and subsequent report of his arrest by law enforcement agents. It is unclear if he is still being held in the custody of the Department of State Services or if there are plans to charge him to court based on the outcome of investigation of the said allegations.