President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jim Obazee, former chief executive officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, as a special investigator to probe the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The president said the appointment takes immediate effect and Obazee is to report directly to his office.
Obazee is expected to work on a thorough-going report on looted public funds under the suspended CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The letter containing Obazee’s appointment reads in part:
“In accordance with the fundamental objective set forth in Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), this administration is today, continuing the fight against corruption by appointing you as a Special Investigator, to investigate the CBN and Related Entities. This appointment shall be with immediate effect and you are to report directly to my office,” the letter reads.
“The full terms of your engagement as Special Investigator shall be communicated to you in due course but, require that you immediately take steps to ensure the strengthening and probity of key Government Business Entities (GBEs), further block leakages in CBN and related GBEs and provide a comprehensive report on public wealth currently in the hands of corrupt individuals and establishments (whether private or public).
“You are to investigate the CBN and related entities using a suitably experienced, competent, and capable team and work with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to deliver on this assignment. I shall expect a weekly briefing on the progress being made.”
The renowned financial investigator is said to have probed Nigeria’s apex bank during Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s tenure, discovered massive corruption, and recommended his sack to former President Goodluck Jonathan in February 2014.
But Obazee was fired by Jonathan’s successor, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2017.
