The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, a prominent Igbo socio-cultural organization, has expressed their commendation for President Bola Tinubu following the removal of Abdulrasheed Bawa as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Tinubu took decisive action by suspending Bawa from his position earlier this week as part of his efforts to restore integrity within public institutions.

The suspension of Bawa comes after the earlier suspension of Godwin Emefiele as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, led by its National President Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, expressed their approval of President Tinubu’s action, considering it as a positive step towards maintaining accountability and transparency in public offices.

Nnabuike highlighted that his organization had previously called on former President Muhammadu Buhari to dismiss Bawa, but their advice was not heeded. Therefore, they appreciate President Tinubu’s response to the situation and view it as a heartening move in the right direction.

The Igbo group had accused Bawa of merchandising the commission, noting: “In the history of the EFCC, no chairman of the commission has ever come under public scrutiny in such a short period of time like Bawa. The same goes for many of the staff under him, justifying the aphorism, ‘like father, like son’. This shows how dirty the commission has become.”

As they praised Tinubu, Okwu emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive investigation into all of Bawa’s actions during his tenure as the chairman of the EFCC. 

“Bawa is a disappointment to the youth constituency; he was given the opportunity to prove that youths can hold any leadership position and deliver, but he messed up a rare opportunity.

“We laud President Bola Tinubu for ridding the EFCC of cancerous leadership provided by Bawa. He made a total mockery of the system, and for that, his name would remain in the infamous book of history.

“We urge Mr President to continue in his ongoing efforts to cleanse the system; he should sustain the tempo; nobody should be spared.

“All those who played one role or the other to retard the country’s progress must be held to account, no matter how highly placed,” Okwu declared.