*Says he’s qualified with requisite experience
By; BASHIR BELLO DOLLARS, Abuja
Group under umbrella of Good Governance Forum (GGF) said the protests trailing the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as the newly appointed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are unnecessary, considering his experience and capacity.
According to the group, those behind what was described as ‘frivolous protest’ over his qualification across the country have little or no knowledge about his experience in same EFCC.
It would be recalled that President Tinubu announced the appointment of both Olukoyede and Hammajoda on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
The appointment came four months after the suspension of the former EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
However, members of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights, on Tuesday, stormed premises of the National Assembly to kick against the choice of Olukoyede as EFCC chairman.
The National Secretary of the human rights group, Mr Adebayo Ogorry, during the protest, alleged that the choice of Olukoyede contravened the extant laws guiding the appointment of the EFCC chairman.
But in a swift reaction to the protest, National Chairman of Good Governance Forum ,Comrade Mustapha Ibrahim Gimba in a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday, said, “Those kicking against his appointment didn’t consider relevant position of EFCC Act that states that the Chairman must at least be an Assistant Commissioner of police or equivalent in security service or law enforcement .
The statement further reads ,”As a pressure group, known for our stand against injustice for over six years in Nigeria. We wouldn’t have any reason to kick against the sponsored protests,but for purposes of clarity and need for progress, the choice of Olukoyede is best for this country if we want to tackle the problem of corruption in our government agencies.
“The major issue raised by the protesters are issues of qualification and cognate experience. We make bold to say he’s qualified in all sense to lead the anti-graft agency having served as Chief of Staff to EFCC Chairman and Secretary of the Commission at different times.”
” EFCC requires someone with “Inside Knowledge” about the operations of the anti-graft agency to able work deliver on the mandate or ridding the country of acts of corruption.
“And those talking about cognate experience and issue of legality and constitutionality of the appointment should know that the President who appointed him knows better, reasons for his choice.
“We strongly believe that people saying Olukaoyede is not a career security or law enforcement personnel with up to 15 years of experience as EFCC act demands have not read EFCC Act.
The group however, urged the the Senate to go ahead and confirm Olukoyede and Muhammad Hammajoda as the substantive Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
