President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a bid to curb corruption during his administration has appointed Jim Obazee as a Special Investigator to probe the activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other related entities, News About Nigeria reports.
In a letter dated 28 July, the President stated that the appointment of Obazee was in line with the fundamental objective set forth in Section 15(5) of the Nigerian constitution.
Obazee, who previously served as the chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) until his dismissal in 2017, is expected to report directly to the President. The full terms of his engagement as a special investigator will be communicated to him in due course.
Among Obazee’s key responsibilities are the reinforcement of Government Business Entities (GBEs) and the prevention of leakages in the CBN and related GBEs. Additionally, he has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation into public wealth currently in the possession of corrupt individuals and establishments, whether private or public.
To ensure the success of the investigation, the President has instructed Obazee to assemble a skilled and capable team and collaborate with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies. Weekly progress reports will be submitted to the President to keep him informed about the ongoing efforts.
President Tinubu also directed Obazee’s attention to his previous directive to suspend the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, on 9 June.
Emefiele was subsequently arrested by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) at his Lagos home and flown to Abuja. He faces prosecution for possessing an unregistered firearm and was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja last week.
However, the SSS re-arrested him on the court premises, causing tensions between the security service and the Nigerian Correctional Centre officers, who attempted to detain him as per the court’s directions.
