Ola Olukoyede appointed as new EFCC chairman

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

Ola Olukoyede has been named the new chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, by President Bola Tinubu.

Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu’s special adviser for media and publicity, announced it in a statement on Thursday.

After Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Commission’s suspended Executive Chairman, resigned, Olukoyede was appointed.

In addition, Tinubu gave his approval to Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda’s nomination as the anti-graft agency’s secretary for an initial term of five years that is renewable, subject to senate confirmation.

By using the authority granted to him by section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, which states that “the Chairman and members of the Commission, other than ex-officio members, shall be appointed by the President,” President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede to serve as the Executive Chairman of the EFCC for a term that is renewable for another four years in the first instance.

As a regulatory compliance consultant with more than twenty-two (22) years of experience, Mr. Ola Olukoyede is a lawyer with a background in fraud management and corporate intelligence. Having previously held the positions of Secretary to the Commission (2018–2023) and Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016–2018), he has a wealth of experience in the management of the EFCC. He thereby satisfies the legal prerequisite for appointment to the position of EFCC Chairman.

Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda is a public official with vast experience in managing public finances. He graduated from the University of Maiduguri with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration. He began working for the Federal Polytechnic in Mubi as a lecturer. He then entered the financial industry.

Therefore, President Tinubu gave the Commission’s new leadership the job of demonstrating why they deserve the trust placed in them.