Abdulrasheed Bawa, the new helmsman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has about 16 years of experience on job.
At 40, he is the youngest person to chair the Commission. The founding chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, was appointed at the age of 43 in 2003.
Before his new appointment, the Kebbi-born lawyer worked as the Zonal Head of the EFCC in Lagos and Oyo States.
Below are 10 things to note about the anti-graft czar.
- He was born in Jega, Kebbi State, 40 years ago. This makes him the first person to be appointed to the EFCC job from anywhere in Nigeria other than the North-East zone.
- Bawa is the first career operative to head the EFCC. His appointment puts to rest agitation by “core EFCC staff” to have one of their own to head the commission.
- Bawa served under all EFCC past chairpersons, starting with Nuhu Ribadu, who recruited the first set of civilians into EFCC (including Bawa) in 2005.
- The operative started work with EFCC from its Lagos office, after his recruitment in 2005. He went on to work at the headquarters in Abuja, and for a year in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
- He was educated at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2001 and master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy in 2011.
- He is a Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent, a position he was promoted to in 2016.
- Bawa has led a number of key corruption and financial crimes investigations including the infamous case of former Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, the case of former Niger State governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu and that of the Controversial crude oil swap. He was also involved in the investigation of petroleum subsidy fraud (2012-2015).
- Bawa has headed EFCC zonal offices in Ibadan and Port Harcourt between June 2018 and December 2019.
- From Port Harcourt, Bawa was posted to Abuja as head of Capacity Development Division of the EFCC Academy, Karu.
- Bawa was trained by the FBI, KPMG and many other institutions in the UK, United States and Nigeria
