Senate defers confirmation of Olukoyede as EFCC scribe

The Senate on Tuesday stepped down the confirmation of Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede as the Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A nominee of President Muhammadu Buhari, Olukoyede, an indigene of Ekiti State, who is the current Chief of Staff to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, was nominated as Secretary to the Commission in a letter by Buhari, dated September 10, and addressed to the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki.

The request for the President’s confirmation of Olukoyede was on October 3, referred to the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, for screening and to report back to the Chamber for confirmation or otherwise.

In his presentation, the Committee Chairman, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North), said that during screening, Olukoyede demonstrated competence and sufficient experience to occupy the office for which he was nominated and was found worthy of confirmation.

He said: “the nominee appeared before the Committee on Wednesday October 24, 2018. The members subjected to scrutiny the curriculum vitae of the nominee and other relevant documents relating to his background and educational qualification, and the work experience of the nominee.

“The Committee found that Olanipekun Olukoyede is a trained lawyer. He gave in-depth responses to the questions asked by the members which we believe will add value to policy formulation and implementation in the EFCC.

“The Committee is satisfied that the nominee has the requisite experience, integrity, professional competence and industry to discharge the functions of the position in which he is nominated.

“The Committee also noted that there was no adverse security report against the nominee and the scrutiny carried out on the nominee shows that the nominee possesses the necessary academic and administrative experience for the position.

“The Committee therefore, recommended that the Senate should confirm the appointment of Olukoyede to the office of the Secretary of EFCC”.

However, Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta South) in his contribution observed that only few members of the Committee signed the report of the screening but noted that since the nominee satisfied the requisite experience and professional requirement, he should be confirmed.

His word: “I observe that only few signatures appeared on the signature column. However, going through what the Chairman of the Committee has presented, and knowing full well that this is not very normal time for the Senate,

it will not be easy for a chairman of a Committee to have all the members to attend but however, from the number that appeared am sure that they formed quorum.

“From the report of the Committee, since the nominee has the requisite experience and professional competence, that is what we are looking for in a nominee for the kind of office that we screen him for, I therefore, suggest that any other thing can be ignored so that we confirm the nominee”.

Reacting to the issue of low turn out by members of the Committee during screening, Utazi pointed out that some of the senators were out of Abuja on oversight functions while others were engaged on electioneering activities but maintained that they formed quorum during the sitting where the nominee was screened.

“This is uncertain times. Most of the Committee members are busy with activities of oversight, and some also are doing electioneering but we formed quorum.

We gave the notice to everybody to attend. At the end of the day, the number of people that came formed quorum and we took decision on behalf of the Committee”.

However, a member of the Committee, Senator Isa Misau (PDP, Bauchi Central), got up and vehemently opposed the confirmation of Olukoyede, alleging that most members of the Committee were not carried along in the screening exercise.

He also posited that he observed during the screening that some of the nominees were not competent to hold the offices for which they were nominated, querying why only three senators signed the signature page of the Committee report.

He therefore, asked the Senate to suspend the confirmation of the nominee and allow the members of the Committee to meet and further deliberate on the report before the Senate could adopt it.

“I observed that only three members out of eight members signed the signature page. What I want is that this report should be stepped down so that we the members of the Committee can go through it because I participated actively in the screening of the nominees.

“There are some of them that are not competent to hold the offices for which they were nominated. I did not sign the report because I am just seeing this report now.

It has not been sent to my office. Nobody invited me to come and deliberate on this report and I was part of the screening.

“And during the screening, I made objection on certain people who are not supposed to hold the office. So, the members of the Committee should study it and not just the Clerk of the Committee to write report and come and submit to the Senate in plenary”, he argued.

Ruling on the matter, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, asked the Committee Chairman, to meet with other members and collectively discuss the report to avoid divergent positions on the confirmation.

Notwithstanding Utazi’s explanation that he invited all members to the screening of the nominee but only a few of them attended, Saraki yielded to Senator Misau’s demand that the report be stepped down, and it was actually stepped down to be taken on another legislative day.