By Kamil Opeyemi
The Legal Attache of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, in Nigeria, Mr. Jack Smith, has said the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is in the right direction.
Smith spoke on Wednesday, in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the EFCC office. He said that he made personal efforts to study the antecedents of Olukoyede and found out that he has impressive credentials to lead the EFCC.
“I came to congratulate you on your appointment. I did my home work and research and I discovered that your appointment is right”, he said.
He expressed delight with the agenda of reform and refocusing of the EFCC, stressing that it would move the anti-corruption mandate of the Commission forward.
“I welcome the direction you are taking the Commission, the rebranding and other positive initiatives are good”, he said.
Responding, Olukoyede appreciated the visit and explained that the relationship between the FBI and Nigeria predated the establishment of the EFCC.
He pointed out that his reform agenda for the Commission was not new “but represents more effective ways of achieving the mandate of the EFCC. It is important we properly define the focus of the anti-corruption work that we are doing”, he said.
The EFCC’s boss also stressed that though the Commission is interested in getting results, it is more concerned about getting results through the right means. “Yes, we will get results but we are concerned about how results are obtained,” he said.
He pledged more commitment to the existing relationship between the EFCC and FBI, maintaining that the two agencies are partners in progress.
Olukoyede also took the FBI’s team through some of the important programmes lined up by the Commission, especially a pending public engagement focusing on youth involvement in cyber crimes.
“We are concerned about the youth of our nation and the need to put them in the right direction. Yes, there are some factors affecting them that are beyond our control but we will ensure that those factors are taken care of by the necessary stakeholders”, he said. Smith was accompanied on the visit by Jim Oscar and Ayotunde Solademi.