Senate Confirms EFCC Board Nominee Whose Resume Indicated He Started School Before Birth

•Passes tertiary hospital development fund bill

Deji Elumoye and Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The Senate yesterday confirmed Yahaya Muhammad (Yobe) and four other nominees as board members and Secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

This was despite complaint that Muhammad’s resume indicated that he started school before he was born.

Others confirmed by the Red Chamber included George Abang Ekungu (Cross River) as Secretary of the EFCC while Luqman Muhammed (Edo); Anumba Adaeze (Enugu); Alhaji Kola Raheem Adesina (Kwara) and Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad (Yobe) as board members of the EFCC.

In his contribution, Senator Hassan Hadejia, observed that there was an overlap in the sequence of Muhammad’s educational experience because he was born on September 29th, 1969, and he started his Central Primary school in 1968.

Senator Hadejia who raised an objection added: “Let me bring to the notice of the House certain discrepancies in the report that are contradictory especially with regards to one of the nominee, Alhaji Yahaya Muhammad on page 8.

“Where the nominee according to record started his primary school before he was born. There is also an overlap in the sequence of his educational experience because here, he was born on 29th September, 1969 and he started his Central Primary school in 1968.

“Then he was in Borno Teachers College from 1975 and 1988 while simultaneous he was in the College of Administration Studies from 1980 to 1981. If these are typographical errors, Mr. President, maybe we should have them corrected for the sake of our record,” he said.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who presided ignored the issue raised by Hadejia and confirmed Muhammad along with other four EFCC Board nominees.

Speaking while presenting the report of the committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, its Chairman, Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, in his presentation, said the nominees while appearing before the panel for screening, gave in-depth responses to questions posed by members on how they would contribute to achieving the Commission’s mandate.

He added that the Committee after scrutinising their credentials was satisfied that the nominees had the requisite experience, integrity, professional competence and industry to discharge the functions for which they were nominated.

Senator Kwari further said there was no adverse security report or petitions against any of them.

Also yesterday, the Red Chamber passed the Tertiary Hospital Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2021.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, said the bill seeks to establish the Tertiary Hospitals Development Fund for the rehabilitation, restoration and consolidation of Tertiary Healthcare in Nigeria.

He also explained that the piece of legislation also seeks to establish for the Fund, the Governing Board consisting of a Chairman and other representatives as members.

According to him, the Fund would provide and maintain infrastructure essential for tertiary healthcare service delivery, health research, staff training and development.

“The bill proposes how the funds will be sourced thereby eliminating the burden of financing placed on the federal government”, Oloriegbe said.