ON THE NOMINATED EFCC CHAIRMAN - A NON-SECURITY PERSONNEL WOULD DO A BETTER JOB
February 19, 2021 | News
With recent reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated AbdulRasheed Bawa as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and his nomination has been sent to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation, many relevant Stakeholders are airing their minds as regards the development,
ON THE NOMINATED EFCC CHAIRMAN - A NON-SECURITY PERSONNEL WOULD DO A BETTER JOB
With recent reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated AbdulRasheed Bawa as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and his nomination has been sent to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation, many relevant Stakeholders are airing their minds as regards the development, which many believe was not properly thought-through by the Buhari-led administration.
While some believe it is unfair for the President to nominate another person to become EFCC Chairman when the Ayo Salami panel’s report on ex-EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, has not been made public and has not been justifiably concluded, others are of the opinion that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has misled the President by nominating an unqualified EFCC Chairman because the 40 year old Bawa is a relation to Malami, whom he put there in his bid to prepare ground to be the next Governor of Kebbi State come 2023.
For the latter, the argument is that Bawa was recruited into EFCC in 2004/5, spent only 16 years in the Commission, and he is on grade level 13. And that according to EFCC Establishment Act, Section 2a (ii) the Chairman to be appointed should:
"be a serving or retired member of any security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent." Such equivalence in the EFCC is Grade Level 15, and Bawa is on Grade level 13, according to those propelling this line of argument. They believe that the EFCC Law is an Act of National Assembly, hence the Senate must not over rule itself by breaching a critical provision in the appointment of the EFCC Chairman.
In my opinion however, A NON-SECURITY PERSONNEL of a sound mind with proven record of having zero tolerance for corruption, should be the appropriate person to head the EFCC as an anti-graft agency. I strongly believe that a non-security operative person will perform much better in heading the EFCC, than anyone within the security operatives. The anti-corruption organisations have not done better.
I believe it is time for the National Assembly to amend the existing Act of the EFCC and ICPC, to accommodate this line of action when it comes to the appointment of those that should head these anti-graft agencies. Any person of sound mind with the relevant qualifications, can do the job of the EFCC Chairman far better than those with the security background who are within the system. This is so as not to create room for such persons outside the system from being corrupted like the ones that have been selected from the system.
The EFCC should be given to TRUSTED persons of PROVEN INTEGRITY to manage the Commission. The entire Board and Chairman of the EFCC should be non-security operatives. And also believe that they should also amend the Act setting up the Police Service Commission. The entire Board and Chairman of the Police Service Commission should not be retired Nigerian police officers, and that is the best way the Nigerian police can be efficiently regulated by the Police Service Commission. The ICPC as well should be headed by a non-security personnel, as it is in the ICPC Act. In other words, any person of sound mind, with the relevant qualifications and proven integrity, can head both the ICPC, EFCC and the Police Service Commission.
All they need are people with good track records that are fearless and have passion to fight corruption, and not just people with exaggerated credentials/profiles that are best described as orators. That is the way I see it.
Zik Gbemre.
February 19, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
With recent reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated AbdulRasheed Bawa as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and his nomination has been sent to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation, many relevant Stakeholders are airing their minds as regards the development, which many believe was not properly thought-through by the Buhari-led administration.
While some believe it is unfair for the President to nominate another person to become EFCC Chairman when the Ayo Salami panel’s report on ex-EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, has not been made public and has not been justifiably concluded, others are of the opinion that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has misled the President by nominating an unqualified EFCC Chairman because the 40 year old Bawa is a relation to Malami, whom he put there in his bid to prepare ground to be the next Governor of Kebbi State come 2023.
For the latter, the argument is that Bawa was recruited into EFCC in 2004/5, spent only 16 years in the Commission, and he is on grade level 13. And that according to EFCC Establishment Act, Section 2a (ii) the Chairman to be appointed should:
"be a serving or retired member of any security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent." Such equivalence in the EFCC is Grade Level 15, and Bawa is on Grade level 13, according to those propelling this line of argument. They believe that the EFCC Law is an Act of National Assembly, hence the Senate must not over rule itself by breaching a critical provision in the appointment of the EFCC Chairman.
In my opinion however, A NON-SECURITY PERSONNEL of a sound mind with proven record of having zero tolerance for corruption, should be the appropriate person to head the EFCC as an anti-graft agency. I strongly believe that a non-security operative person will perform much better in heading the EFCC, than anyone within the security operatives. The anti-corruption organisations have not done better.
I believe it is time for the National Assembly to amend the existing Act of the EFCC and ICPC, to accommodate this line of action when it comes to the appointment of those that should head these anti-graft agencies. Any person of sound mind with the relevant qualifications, can do the job of the EFCC Chairman far better than those with the security background who are within the system. This is so as not to create room for such persons outside the system from being corrupted like the ones that have been selected from the system.
The EFCC should be given to TRUSTED persons of PROVEN INTEGRITY to manage the Commission. The entire Board and Chairman of the EFCC should be non-security operatives. And also believe that they should also amend the Act setting up the Police Service Commission. The entire Board and Chairman of the Police Service Commission should not be retired Nigerian police officers, and that is the best way the Nigerian police can be efficiently regulated by the Police Service Commission. The ICPC as well should be headed by a non-security personnel, as it is in the ICPC Act. In other words, any person of sound mind, with the relevant qualifications and proven integrity, can head both the ICPC, EFCC and the Police Service Commission.
All they need are people with good track records that are fearless and have passion to fight corruption, and not just people with exaggerated credentials/profiles that are best described as orators. That is the way I see it.
Zik Gbemre.
February 19, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes