CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
The Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights, CHSR, has called for the stoppage of politicization of the nomination of EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede by the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
P.M.EXPRESS reports as stated by CHSR in a statement by its President, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, in Lagos State.
He said that CHSR was compelled to issue the statement as one of the strategic, civic trench stakeholders in Nigeria on the recent protest against the nomination of Mr. Olukoyede as the EFCC Chairman by President Tinubu.
He stated: “EFCC Establishment Act, 2004 says the “Commission shall consist of the following members- (a) 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”.
“Mr. Olukoyede is a thorough-bred lawyer with over twenty-two (22) years experience at the Bar, who has worked as a regulatory compliance consultant, and specialised in compliance management, corporate intelligence, and fraud management. He is a certified fraud examiner, who has led investigations, civil litigation of fraud and financial crimes in international development projects. He was a member of the Fraud Advisory panel in UK and also an Harvard University trained in fraud investigations.”
“Olukoyede specialises in anti-corruption research and analysis, corporate and business intelligence gathering, and processing. He has also worked in the law enforcement agency for about 5-6 years. That is, he had garnered the cognate experience as stipulated in the EFCC establishment Act as the Act itself was not specific as to where the cognate experience should be.”
“For ease of reference, our patriotic, civic obligations placed upon our shoulders the dire imperative to alert the civil populace, well meaning Nigerians and relevant institutions that a grand scheme to politicize the nomination of Mr. Olukoyede by marauders and ethnic chauvinist should vehemently be rejected by the National Assembly.”
“Our position is clearly in defence of the constitutional rights of Federal characters, in light with the recent announcement of a Northerner as ICPC chairman.” CHSR stated.