Toba Owojaiye reporting
A lighthearted moment unfolded in the Senate during the confirmation hearing for Mr. Ola Olukoyede as the prospective Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday.
Olukoyede, in an attempt to illustrate the nature of the graft cases the EFCC investigates, brought up the Senate President as a hypothetical example. However, his comments were met with an unexpected reaction from the lawmakers in the chamber.
While addressing the Senate, Olukoyede began, “If we are investigating the Senate President, for example…” This statement led to an outburst of laughter from the senators.
The laughter reached its peak when Senator Godswill Akpabio, perhaps enjoying the moment, advised the EFCC Chairman-nominee not to involve the Senate President as an example in corruption investigations.
In a joking mood, Akpabio said, “I’m very glad that the nominee wants to use the Senate President as an example. But Mr. nominee, leave the Senate President for now, look at this direction” while pointing towards the seats of opposition lawmakers.
Following the laughter and good-natured ribbing, Mr. Olukoyede continued his presentation without mentioning anyone’s name, emphasizing the challenging nature of combating corruption, stating, “If you are fighting corruption, you become the enemy of everybody.”
Notably, Senator Godswill Akpabio himself has faced allegations of involvement in a N108.1 billion funds embezzlement case, which is currently under investigation by the EFCC.
The probe was initiated following a petition by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong. Akpabio has consistently asserted his innocence regarding the alleged fraud, though the current status of the case remains undisclosed.