By Abiola Olawale
Abdulrasheed Bawa, who was recently nominated for the Chairmanship position of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), by President Muhammadu Buhari, has been reportedly promoted to Grade Level 14, rank of Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent (DCDS), ahead of his screening at the Senate.
The nomination of Bawa by the President on February 16, 2021 has since drawn some oppositions bordering on his qualification for the top job. Bawa was on Grade 13, a Principal Detective Superintendent(PDS), as at the time he was nominated by the President.
Bawa, 40, has been overseeing EFCC operations in Lagos before his nomination to head the anti-graft body.
The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Osuagwu Ugochukwu, among others had criticized President Buhari’s nomination of Bawa as the EFCC boss, stating that his nomination was contradictory to the Section 2 of the EFCC Act.
However, according to agency report, Bawa alongside 87 operatives at the commission, have been promoted, as contained in an internal memo titled ‘Release of Promotion List’ issued by the anti graft agency on Friday.
According to the memo cited in the report, promotion letters of the affected staff would be issued by the Human Resources Unit (HRU) as soon as possible while the promotion from the Grade Level 13, PDS to the grade 14, DCDS is to take effect immediately.
Recall CACOL had on Thursday urged the Nigerian Senate to not confirm Bawa’s appointment as new Chairman of the EFCC.
CACOL in the statement issued on Thursday said Bawa’s appointment should be discarded, on the grounds that some corruption allegations had been linked to him in the past. CACOL also stated that Bawa is not qualified for the position as he was on Grade Level 13.
The statement reads, “We have been watching as events unfold since the suspension of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, we are disturbed by the recent development in which Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa was announced by the Presidency as the new head of the anti-corruption agency.
“We are therefore constrained at this point in time to bring to your attention our critical reaction to the nomination of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa as the Chairman of EFCC.
“While recognizing the President’s constitutional prerogative and right to make appointments in accordance with Paragraph 2(3) of Part 1, CAP E1 of EFCC Act 2004, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership considers it a service to the nation, by providing information that might be helpful to your ratification in that regard.
“We would like the hallowed chamber of the Senate to note the following contradictions before screening the newly nominated chairman of the EFCC:
“A. The Chairman Designate was alleged to have diverted 224 forfeited trucks while he was the Port Harcourt zonal head of the commission.
“B. He was also alleged to have been involved in oil theft sometime in the past.
“C. Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa is also rumoured to be a cousin to Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation who traduced Ibrahim Magu (the suspended Chairman of EFCC).
“D. 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, while Bawa is on Grade Level 13.
“E. The EFCC Law is an Act of National Assembly hence Senate must not overrule itself by breaching a critical provision in the appointment of EFCC Chairman.
“F. Since Mr. Ibrahim Magu was suspended and not sacked, we expect the Presidency to come out with a white paper on Justice Ayo Salami’s panel set up in July 2020 to investigate various allegations of wrongdoing against Ibrahim Magu. The panel had since submitted its report to the President on November 20, 2020. Till date, we are still expecting a white paper on the recommendations of the panel. We would also want to know the fate of Ibrahim Magu.
“G. From the inception of EFCC, the story of the termination of the appointment of virtually all the former heads of the agency seem to be the same. It looks like the position is fast becoming a “use and dump” position wherein the end of the tenure has been determined from the beginning.”
Similarly, Osuagwu Ugochukwu, a lawyer had filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop the Senate from confirming Bawa as the Chairman of the EFCC.
Ugochukwu’s argument is also on the grounds that Bawa is not qualified for the position as stated in the Section 2 of the EFCC Act. The provision states: “a person who will be appointed as chairman of the commission must have at least 15 years experience and must be the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police or its equivalent.”
