Senate confirms Abdulrasheed Bawa as EFCC chairman
The Senate has confirmed Abdulrasheed Bawa as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The confirmation was done after a screening which lasted for over two hours, presided over by the Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
Bawa, 40, was grilled by senators with about 15 lawmakers asking him various questions. The questions ranged from his past experiences, his relationship with his predecessors as well as his plans for the new position he has been appointed for.
During the exercise, he denied the allegation of selling recovered properties while heading the EFCC’s Port Harcourt office and said he has a good relationship with his predecessors.
The screening comes one week after President Muhammadu Buhari conveyed a letter to the Senate seeking Mr Bawa’s confirmation as the EFCC boss.
The president, in the letter, communicated his decision to appoint the 40-year-old. The appointment, he said, is in accordance with Paragraph 2(3) of Part1, CAP E1 of EFCC Act 2004.
The president’s media aide, Femi Adesina, who made the first announcement on February 16, said the nominee is a trained EFCC investigator with vast experience in the investigation and prosecution of advance fee fraud cases, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, and other economic crimes.
“He has undergone several specialised training in different parts of the world, and was one of the pioneer EFCC Cadet Officers in 2005. He holds a B.Sc degree in Economics, and Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy,” Adesina said.
Bawa will become the youngest man to head the EFCC and the first EFCC chairperson not to have been a police officer.
