By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The Senate President, Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawal and other members of the Red Chamber, have been urged to confirm the nomination of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the Foundation for Civilian Peace in Niger Delta (FCPND), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), whose Directorate, the Civilian Peace Task Force in the Niger Delta (CPTF), collaborates with the Army, Police, Civil Defence Corps, the EFCC and other security agencies to fight against oil thefts, oil bunkering and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta region of the country.
The call by the group follows the allegations by some activists that Mr. Bawa should not be considered for the commission, until he clears himself of the accusation of illegal sale to his proxies of 244 seized trucks while he headed the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the EFCC, consequently on which he was detained and transferred to the Lagos EFCC office.
Apparently relying on the recommendations of the Justice Ayo Salami’s Panel of Investigation set up to probe the activities of the commission and the former Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, President Muhammadu Buhari announce Bawa’s nomination and sent it to the Senate for confirmation.
But, in a press statement signed by Chief Joseph Ijede and Comrade Tony Erha, President and Secretary General of FCPND, respectively, urged the President and his colleagues not to be swayed by the malicious allegations by the mischief makers, intended to dent the name and integrity of Mr. Bawa.
The statement recollected that Mr. Bawa was diligent in his duties as boss of the Port Harcourt EFCC zone, as result of the synergy between them as EFCC and the other security organs, which went ahead to increase revenue earnings from oil and served as deterrence to economic saboteurs, who were the owners of the seized assets.
“Now, we are surprised that the same Bawa, who came to assist in wiping out the encouragement of oil thefts and economic saboteurs, is the same who had just been blackmailed and wrongly accused”.
The statement stated, that instead of criticizing President Buhari for a due appointment, he should have been hailed for nominating a result-oriented youth. Presudent Buhari, the group asserted also meant well by not appointing a substantive EFCC Chairman from the usual police force, but giving the commission a fresh breath by appointing an enterprising officer like Bawa, who went through the special drills of fighting economic and financial crimes”.
The group also reminded the public that some of the members of FCPDN and CPTF; “Are old enough to be parents to the young and dynamic Mr. Bawa, who is only 40 years of age, because of his great work in the Port Harcourt’s EFCC, even now as we are prouder for his due nomination. Certainly, there are lots of Nigerians out there, who would wish that the like of the youthful Abdulrasheed Bawa would be replicated in EFCC and the Nigerian scheme of things, as a means out of the present stagnations”.