Tinubu to Appoint Former Secretary Olanipekun as EFCC Chair, Sources Say

President Bola Tinubu is reportedly planning to appoint Olanipekun Olukoyede, a lawyer and former secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as the substantive chairperson of the anti-graft agency.

This move, however, is likely to spark controversy over Mr Olukoyede’s qualification for the job, as he was suspended from his previous role along with the former acting chair of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, in 2020.

Mr Olukoyede, who hails from Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti State, South-west Nigeria, had served as Mr Magu’s chief of staff and secretary of the EFCC for two years before he was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He had also worked as a lawyer at the law firm of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before joining the EFCC. He is a certified fraud examiner and a member of the Federal Government Technical Committee on the Repositioning of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

A top presidency source familiar with the development told PREMIUM TIMES that President Tinubu has chosen Mr Olukoyede for appointment as substantive chair of the EFCC. Another source confirmed that Mr Olukoyede’s appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, would be made public “very soon”.

President Tinubu had suspended Abdulrasheed Bawa as EFCC chair in June this year, and appointed Abdulkarim Chukkol, then director of operations, in an acting capacity. Mr Bawa’s suspension followed a pattern of unceremonious removal of past EFCC bosses over allegations of fraud and misconduct.

Mr Bawa has been in detention at the State Security Service (SSS) since then, after he honoured the agency’s invitation for interrogation regarding the corruption allegation. There are speculations that Mr Bawa has agreed to officially resign from office.

If Mr Olukoyede’s nomination sails through, he will be the first Nigerian from the South of the country to lead the anti-corruption agency. However, there are concerns that Mr Olukoyede, who was implicated in the same scandal that led to Mr Magu’s downfall, may not have the moral authority and credibility to head the EFCC.

Some Nigerians have also questioned President Tinubu’s motive and sincerity in appointing Mr Olukoyede, who is said to be a close associate of Mr Magu and a loyalist of Mr Osinbajo

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