The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Ola Olukoyede as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It also confirmed the appointment of Muhammad Hammajoda as the secretary of the anti-graft agency.
Mr Olukoyede’s nomination by President Bola Tinubu was confirmed despite controversy over his qualification for the position.
Some Nigerians said he did not meet the requirements of the Act establishing the anti-corruption agency.
Section 2(3) of the EFCC Act states that the chairman of the commission “must 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 possess not less than 15 years experience.”
Mr Olukoyede, who is a lawyer, has no experience in any security or law enforcement.
The Presidency, however, insisted the 54-year-old Ekiti State indigene was qualified for the position.
The Senate, which is expected to enforce laws, however, ignored the EFCC Act and its requirement for the chairmanship position.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the confirmation of Mr Olukoyede and Mr Hammajoda after they were cleared via a voice vote by senators at the plenary.
The request of President Tinubu seeking the confirmation of Messrs Olukoyede as Chairman and Hammajoda as Secretary of EFCC was read by the senate president at the plenary on Tuesday and it was referred to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
The two nominees were screened and cleared by the senators at the Committee of the Whole after answering questions bordering on how they plan to make the anti-graft agency prevent corruption in the country.
The appointment of Mr Olukoyede came barely four months after the erstwhile anti-graft agency chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was suspended.
NISPA confirmation
Meanwhile, the Senate also confirmed Halima Shehu as the pioneer National Coordinator / Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA).
