In a move to strengthen the anti-corruption fight, President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jim Obazee as a Special Investigator to conduct a thorough probe into the activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other related Government Business Entities (GBEs).
The appointment, based on the constitutional mandate outlined in Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), comes as part of President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring probity and transparency in the nation’s financial institutions.
The appointment, detailed in a letter dated 28th July, empowers Obazee to lead the investigation and report directly to the President, with the full terms of his engagement as a special investigator to be conveyed to him in due course.
Obazee, a former chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), is tasked with taking swift action to fortify the integrity of key GBEs and to seal leakages within the CBN and its related counterparts.
A comprehensive report on the present state of public wealth in the hands of corrupt individuals and establishments, whether public or private, is also mandated to be delivered by the special investigator.
Additionally, the president has directed Obazee to conduct a thorough investigation into public wealth currently in the possession of corrupt individuals and establishments, whether in the private or public sector.
To execute this mandate effectively, President Tinubu has instructed the Obazee to assemble a suitably experienced, competent, and capable team and to collaborate with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to deliver on the assignment.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the appointment comes in the wake of the suspension of the CBN boss, Godwin Emefiele since 9th June and his subsequent arrest at his Lagos residence by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).
The SSS has said it is prosecuting Emefiele for possession of an unregistered firearm, and despite being granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja, he remains in detention.
The re-arrest of the suspended CBN boss on 25th July inside the the court premises led to a confrontation between officers of the State Security Service and those from the Nigerian Correctional Centre, who attempted to take custody of him.