AbdulAhad Otuoze
Former two term member of Federal House of Representatives, Hon Sunday Karimi has commended the recommendation of Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa as new Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In line with the recommendation of Justice Isa Ayo Salami’s panel, President Buhari on Tuesday broke the 18-year tradition of appointing policemen as chairman of the EFCC, with his choice of Bawa, a Course One EFCC Cadet product.
Bawa, if confirmed , will be the first EFCC’s cadet to head the commission. He will replace suspended Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu.
Hon Karimi, who represented Yagba Federal Constituency, Kogi State in the 7th and 8th Assembly, in a statement described Bawa’s choice as a round peg in a round hole.
According to the former Rep, “With my deep knowledge of the workings of the outfit in the last decade, the choice of Bawa provides an opportunity for an insider with excellent intellectual abilities, youthful vigor and a total shift from police lock up and charge and bail attitude to transformation into real professionalism in financial crimes investigation as it is carried out in other civilzed communities”.
Karimi declared that contrary to recent attempts to “run Mr Bawa down at all cost”, he is one of the few trusted hands in the organization that are incorriptible.
“He approaches his schedules with humility and he is a very sound officer. He will surely reposition EFCC as a top intelligence outfit. His choice presents an opportunity for those that were trained by the organization to lead the service”, he added.
