By Orji Onyekwere
President Bola Tinubu is set to appoint Olanipekun Olukoyede as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Olukoyede, served under the suspended former EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu as the secretary of the Commission for two years; before he was suspended alongside his principal in 2020. Since then both of them have not been recalled back.
Before his role as secretary, Olukoyede was Magu’s chief of staff.
RovingNaija gathered that his appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, is expected to be announced soon.
Olukoyede’s nomination is said to be controversial because he has no experience in law enforcement or investigation, though he is a lawyer. He is also seen as being too close to Magu, who was himself a controversial figure.
However, there are strong arguments for him by his supporters who say that as a qualified lawyer, he is experinced in compliance management, corporate intelligence, and fraud management. He is also a certified fraud examiner.
If the Senate confirms his nomination, Olukoyede will be the first Nigerian from the Southern part of the country to lead the EFCC.
However, there are major impediments that may stand against Mr Olukoyede’s appointment as the anti- financial crime boss. There are statutory requirements for the appointment of the EFCC boss which Mr Olukoyede may not meet.
Section 2(3) of the EFCC Act, 2005, stipulates that the chairman of the commission “must 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; possess not less than 15 years experience.”
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