President Bola Tinubu has made significant changes within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The suspended Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has been relieved of his duties, and Ola Olukoyede has been appointed as the new Executive Chairman.
Furthermore, President Tinubu has designated Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda as the Secretary of the commission, serving a renewable five-year term, initially pending Senate confirmation. These appointments were officially announced in a statement released by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
Notably, with his selection as the fifth chairman of the anti-graft agency, Olukoyede, a lawyer, and the Lead Pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of Refuge, Lagos, has become the second non-police officer and the first Christian to lead the commission.
This marks a significant departure from previous chairmen, including Nuhu Ribadu, retired AIG (2003-2007); Mrs. Farida Waziri, retired AIG (2008-2011); Ibrahim Lamorde, retired DIG (2012-2015); and Abdulrasheed Bawa (2021-2023).
The statement read: “By the powers vested in President Bola Tinubu as established in section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, that “the Chairman and members of the Commission, other than ex-officio members, shall be appointed by the President,” President Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of four years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.
“Mr. Ola Olukoyede is a lawyer with over 22 years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence.
“He has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023). As such, he fulfills the statutory requirement for appointment as Chairman of the EFCC.
“Mr. Olukoyede’s appointment follows the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.
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“Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda to serve as the Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a renewable term of five years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation.
“Mr. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda is a public administrator with extensive experience in public finance management who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Maiduguri and a Masters in Business Administration from the same university.
“He began his career as a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi. From there, he went into banking, including successful stints at the defunct Allied Bank and Standard Trust Bank.
“President Bola Tinubu tasks the new leadership of the EFCC to justify the confidence given to them in this important national assignment as a newly invigorated war on corruption undertaken through a reformed institutional architecture in the anti-corruption sector remains a central pillar of the President’s Renewed Hope agenda.”
