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Group storms NASS to protest against the appointment of Olukoyede as EFCC Chairman
A group Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEHUR).on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly gate to protest against the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Armed with their protest letter titled “Petition on the Recent Appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Contrary to the Extant Laws, the (Establishment) Act 2004 of the Commission” they sought to address the Senate President on Tuesday.
The petition signed by Adebayo Lion Ogorry (National Secretary) CEDEHUR said they wrote to draw the attention of the Senate President “to the gross violation of the extant law”, which is the EFCC Establishment Act (2004) by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in appointing Mr. Ola Olukayede as Chairman of the Commission on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
The group described the action of President Tinubu in making the appointment of Mr. Olukoyede into such a high office with enormous responsibility as the Chairman of the EFCC in fragrant breach of the provisions of the laws of the parliament as “contrary to the oath he took on May 29, 2023 to protect and defend the laws of the nation”.
Noting the importance of the EFCC Extant law as “sacrosanct” CEDEHUR underscored the need for it to be strictly adhered to before going ahead to appoint a chairman for the Commission.
“President Tinubu, as the number one citizen, whose office is the creation of the law, needs to comply with the EFCC Extant Laws and not be seen to set a wrong precedence for successive administrations in making his appointment, which can slip the country into a state of anarchy”.
The group said in their quest to see that the right thing is done, they have made its findings on who qualifies to be the Executive Chairman of the EFCC in accordance with the laws and came to the conclusion that the provision of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004 (1): “The Commission shall consist of the following members-(a) A chairman, who shall- (1) 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”.
“The provision above is very clear and unambiguous. The functions of the EFCC are not civil in nature. Hence it is a paramilitary organization. That is the rationale behind the inclusion of the police ranking system and its equivalent in other law enforcement agencies as one of the prerequisites for attaining the position of the Executive Chairman” CEDEHUR said.
“Secondly, the person sought to be appointed must not only be a member of the law enforcement family, he must also have 15 years cognate experience. In other words, the person must have the knowledge, skills and abilities in the professional law enforcement activity.
“This section simply means that not all members of the police force, other Forces and indeed the EFCC can be the Executive Chairman of the EFCC. A pilot, medical personnel, Admin officer, etc who have 15 years police or paramilitary service, are ordinarily devoid of the cognate experience of enforcing the laws of the EFCC.
“This much is gleaned from Section 8 (5) of the EFCC Act which states that: “…..all officers involved in the enforcement of the Act shall have the same powers, authorities, privileges (including power to bear arms) as are given by law to members of the Nigerian Police”.
“To further buttress this point, the EFCC simply identified the officers who are beneficiaries of Section 8 (5) of the EFCC Act and issued them with a warrant card. Evidently, the officers who do not possess a warrant card are not regarded as equivalent to police officers as envisioned by the EFCC Establishment Act.
“To put it in context, there are various members of the law enforcement agencies and Military organisations that are civilians and cannot take on the headship. Examples of these abound in the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Police Force. A person who serves in the EFCC as Chief of Staff (personal staff of the Chairman) or secretary has no law enforcement training as envisioned by the EFCC Act. Just like, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) may consider appointing a non-Police personnel in his office to carry out certain work.
“That does not make the civilian a member of the Police Force in the context of appointment to the headship. Also, a civilian Police pay officer who works with the Police does not become a member of the Police force in the context of appointment as IGP.
“Any appointment that is contrary to the provisions of the Extant EFCC Establishment Act is an assault on the National Assembly which is the constitutional organ responsible for making laws.
According to the petition, “if the Executive is uncomfortable with a provision, the appropriate action will be to beckon on the National Assembly to amend or repeal such provisions. To let such Infractions slide is a call to anarchy.
“From our investigation, he (Olukoyede) was appointed as Chief of staff to the erstwhile Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and he served in that ⁷⁷⁶l from 2016 to 2018. He was later appointed the Commission Secretary and he served in that capacity from 2018 to 2019 before he was suspended from Office, and we gathered that same indicted both principal officers were never re-absorbed back to the Commission.
“Dramatically, Olukoyede has been appointed as the new Executive Chairman of EFCC, and we also gathered he was recently invited by the EFCC, and have been reliably informed that his offences has been written off, while his salaries and benefits suspended will be all paid while he was on suspension.
“In fact, we are all aware of Olukoyede spending eight years at the Commission between 2016 to 2023. We also queried that how did he manufactured additional 15 cognate years experience as contained in as required by law to as contained in Section 2 (1)(iii) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004.
“It is against this backdrop that we write the petition and calling you to use your office to give this appointment the proper scrutiny it deserves and stop the flagrant disregard and breach of the provisions of the extant laws of the EFCC Establishment Act 2004.
They expressed the believe the Senate will give their petition the “prompt action it deserves and save our nation from anarchy”.
To educate citizens on the economic interventions under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation has commenced a public awareness campaign in Jigawa State.
The ministry urged the public, especially the youth, to take advantage of the opportunities for self-reliance, with the initiative highlighting various job creation and poverty alleviation programs.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Mohammed Idris, represented by Mala Bashir Dahiru Galadanci, Head of the Federal Information Center in Dutse, highlighted the government’s “Renewed Hope” initiatives.
He emphasized that the interventions were designed to change the narratives in the economic wellbeing of Nigerians and provide job and skill opportunities, particularly for the youth, to encourage self-reliance and entrepreneurship.
According to Mr. Galadanci, the administration is committed to addressing poverty and unemployment by introducing accessible programs that benefit citizens at the federal, state, and local levels. He called on the people of Jigawa State to explore these opportunities and support government efforts in transforming the country’s economy.
Jigawa State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Ahmad Tijjani, also called for public support of the government’s policies. He acknowledged that while some recent policy changes have impacted citizens’ living standards, these new interventions are a proactive step toward alleviating poverty and economic hardship.
In a presentation, Professor Ali Siro of the Sociology Department at the Federal University Dutse detailed various federal interventions, including the Student Loan Program, Consumer Credit Corporation, Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, National Youth Talent Export Program, National Housing Initiative, and several small business loan schemes.
He explained the eligibility criteria, repayment terms, and benefits of the initiatives to encourage public participation.
In his goodwill message, the Emir of Dutse, Hamim Nuhu Sanusi, commended the federal government for introducing multiple economic interventions to cushion the impact of new policies.
Represented by Senior Counsellor Alhaji Mustapha Aminu, the Emir suggested a review of civil service rules, urging the government to adjust workers’ salaries and make loan terms more flexible to prevent financial strain on the workforce.
This campaign marked the beginning of a nationwide effort to educate citizens on government interventions aimed at creating socio-economic opportunities and improving the overall welfare of Nigerians.
***Bello leaves EFCC without interogation
The Economic ane Financial ctimes Commisaion has discredited reports that the immediate past Governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello is in its custody .
Head, Media and Publicity of the anti graft agency, Dele Oyewale in a terse statement on Wednesday indicated that Media reports earlier in the day that a former Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello is in the holding facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is incorrect. “The Commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody. Bello, already declared wanted by the Commission for alleged N80.2billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest.
Bello’s media team had sent out a statement earlier indicating that the former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello had turned himself in to
honor the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invitation, following allegations of corruption and fraudulent activities during his tenure.
Their statement confirmed that the former Governor appeared before the EFCC after consulting with his family, legal team, and political allies.
In another twist, indications emerged that Bello, who had initially claimed to have voluntarily honoured the commission’s invitation, was trailed and arrested by EFCC operatives in Lokoja at midnight.
In yet another twist, Bello’s Director of Media, Ohiare Michael said, “Earlier today, we reported the voluntary visit of former Governor of Kogi State, HE Alh. Yahaya Bello to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission office to honour the Commission’s invitation.
“In the statement, we reiterated the former Governor’s great respect for the rule of law and constituted authority, and stressed that, all the while, he only sought the enforcement of his fundamental rights in order to ensure due process.
“The EFCC did not, however, interrogate him as officials told him he could leave. We don’t know what this means yet. As we write, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello has left the EFCC office. He was accompanied there by the Governor of Kogi State, HE Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“Recall that the case has been before a competent court of jurisdiction, and Alhaji Yahaya Bello had been duly represented by his legal team at every hearing. The former Governor decided to honour the invitation to clear his name as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear. “
Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has honored the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invitation, following allegations of corruption and fraudulent activities during his tenure.
Bello’s media team in a statement confirmed that he appeared before the EFCC after consulting with his family, legal team, and political allies.
The former governor had been declared wanted by the EFCC over alleged money laundering and corrupt enrichment amounting to N80.2 billion.
The statement reads: “The former Governor, who has great respect for the rule of law and constituted authority, had, all the while, only sought the enforcement of his fundamental rights in order to ensure due process.
“The case has been before a competent court of jurisdiction, and Alhaji Yahaya Bello had been duly represented by his legal team at every hearing. It is important for the former Governor to now honour the invitation of the EFCC to clear his name as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.
“The former Governor believes firmly in the efforts of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to place Nigeria on the path of sustainable economic development; and supports the fight against corruption in the country.
“It is on record that he was the first Governor of Kogi State to put in place an anti-corruption mechanism to check graft and ensure that the resources of the State work for the people of the State.
“He was accompanied to the EFCC Headquarters by high profile Nigerians.
“It is our hope that the Commission will be as professional as necessary and respect his fundamental rights as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Details of his engagement with the operatives of the Anti-Graft Agency will be disclosed later.”
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