Tinubu appoints ex-FRC secretary fired for corruption, convicted of sexual assault to probe CBN, other agencies
President Bola Tinubu has appointed a man who was fired by his predecessor amid multiple allegations of corruption, abuse of office, federal racketeering, and sexual harassment to lead an investigation into the Central Bank of Nigeria and other federal agencies.
According to a July 28 letter signed by the president for the new appointee, Jim Osayande Obazee has been tapped as a special investigator with the mandate to uncover vast corruption at the nation’s main banker and other institutions suspected of entrenching a culture of public graft.
The president stated that Mr Obazee, who was controversially removed from office in 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari after multiple charges including fraud and sexual assault of a federal official, should “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.”
Mr Tinubu added in the letter that he would work with “a suitably experienced, competent, and capable team and work with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to deliver on this assignment,” and that he would expect weekly updates from Mr Obazee’s team.
The development came about seven weeks after the president fired Godwin Emefiele as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and handed him over to the brutal State Security Service, where he has been held in defiance of court orders ever since.
Jim Osayande Obazee baggages
Mr Tinubu, whose election as president is being challenged in federal court, did not appear to have taken Mr Obazee’s controversial background into account before appointing him to a critical anti-corruption portfolio.
Mr Jim Osayande Obazee was the executive secretary of the Financial Reporting Council when he was accused of sexually abusing a federal official, Abimbola Patricia Yakubu, in 2013 and later fired her from the federal agency in retaliation.
Ms Yakubu promptly filed a lawsuit against the FRC for wrongful termination and covering up sexual assault by its leadership, which she won in the Kano Division of the National Industrial Court.
After a lengthy trial, Justice Oyebiola Oyewunmi awarded Ms Yakubu N5 million against Jim Osayande Obazee. The judge also ordered the victim’s immediate reinstatement with full payment of her salaries, including for the years she was absent from work due to the illegal termination, in the November 24, 2016 ruling.
The court determined that Mr Obazee’s treatment caused Ms Yakubu “unquantifiable mental and psychological trauma, low self-worth, and dignity.”
“I award the sum of N5,000,000.00 against the 2nd defendant for sexually harassing the claimant, discrimination against her, inhuman and executive recklessness on the part of the 2nd defendant, thereby creating a hostile working environment for the claimant and for the violation of her human dignity and self-worth-respect,” the judge ruled.
Following the verdict, Mr Jim Osayande Obazee maintained his innocence on all charges. But there was no immediate word on whether or not he planned to appeal. The special investigator did not respond to a Peoples Gazette request for comment on his background.
Jim Osayande Obazee Accused of Embezzlement.
Mr Obazee was also accused in 2016 of syphoning public funds from the agency into his pocket, years after allegedly taking bribes to recommend a federal takeover of some banks and the removal of Lamido Sanusi, the CBN governor.
Mr Obazee, who was appointed to lead the FRC in November 2010, was finally fired by Mr Buhari in January 2017. His removal was the result of widespread outrage over his decision to strictly regulate churches, mosques, and other faith-based entities across Nigeria. The development was said to be related to Enoch Adeboye’s decision to step down as the leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Later, the church denied any involvement in Mr Obazee’s removal.
A request for comment on how Mr Obazee was vetted for the position was not returned by a spokesman for the president.
Tinubu and Corrupt People
Mr Tinubu, who has been dogged by allegations of corruption and drug dealing for decades, has kept close ties with people of questionable character. Femi Gbajabiamila, his chief of staff, accepted bribes to pass a 2021 law and had previously been sentenced for stealing money from clients while practising law in the United States. Abdullahi Ganduje, the president’s key political ally, was caught on video accepting bribes from a public works contractor.
Mr Tinubu has maintained his denial of corruption allegations, despite admitting to forfeiting drug money to the US in the 1990s. In his letter to Mr Obazee, he stated that his decision to appoint a special investigator was consistent with his administration’s efforts to eradicate corruption in government.
Tags : Jim Osayande Obazee, Breaking News, Nigeria Today, Latest Naija News, Naija Gist, Newsonline Nigeria
