The new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, has begun the restructuring the anti-graft agency so as to position it for optimum performance, the commission’s acting spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement Saturday.

As part of the reorganisation, Mr. Lamorde has announced major appointments and reshuffling of staff.

Mr. Uwujaren’s statement announcing the appointment is reproduced below.

“In keeping with his promise to reposition the EFCC, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde on Friday, March 9, 2012 announced major appointments in the anti-graft agency. The most prominent is the emergence of Mr. Olaolu Adegbite, a Chief Superintendent of Police as the new Director of Operations. He succeeds Mr. Lamorde who held that position before he was named acting Chairman of EFCC on November 23, 2011 by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The choice of Adegbite as Director of Operations provides a clear insight to the direction which Lamorde wants to steer the ship of the Commission. The new Director of Operations is well regarded as a vibrant, efficient and extremely professional detective who is credited with the successes achieved by the Commission in the fight against Advance Fee Fraud, otherwise known as 419. He has been head of the Advance Fee fraud section of the EFCC since inception. That unit is a major contributor to the bouquet of convictions recorded by the EFCC in its 9 years of existence.

“Apart from Adegbite other notable appointments announced by the anti-graft agency include those of Mr. Mohammed Wakili who is Head of the newly created Internal Affairs Department; and Mr. Ayo Olowonihi, former Head of the Special Control Unit against Mooney Laundering, SCUML who becomes Commandant of the EFCC Academy .

“Mr. Bala Sanga, former Deputy Director, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit moves to the Legal Unit of the EFCC Academy, while former Director of the EFCC Training and Research Institute (now re-designated EFCC Academy), Dr. David Tukura becomes Director, Planning, Policy and Statistics in the newly created Directorate of Planning, Policy and Statistics.

“Mr. Osita Nwajah, Assistant Director and pioneer Head of Media and Publicity, becomes Acting Deputy Director, Media and Public Affairs. He is to superintend the newly created Directorate of Media and Public Affairs.  Nwajah, who was banished in June 2008 by the dismissed EFCC Chairman, Farida Waziri, to the remote operations of Enugu , is a 1987 University of Calabar graduate of Theatre Arts and holder of a 1995 University of Ilorin Master of Public Administration degree.  He is a multiple award winning journalist, who has, among other awards in his professional bag of laurels, a 1999 CNN African Journalist of the Year award.

“Wakili is expected to drive the internal cleansing process aimed at erasing the integrity deficit in the Commission, a key plank in the reform agenda of Mr. Lamorde. An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Wakili was for many years the head of the Bank Fraud Section of the Commission. He also served briefly as Deputy Director of Operations between January and May 2008 when Lamorde was acting Chairman following the departure of the pioneer chairman of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Until his new appointment, Wakili was head of the Economic Governance Unit at the Commission’s headquarters.

 “On his part, Olowonihi is returning to familiar terrain having previously served as deputy director, EFCC Training and Research Institute, Karu, which is renamed EFCC Academy . He was one-time Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) He is to drive the law enforcement training objectives of the Commission. A highly cerebral officer, Olowonihi succeeds Dr. David Tukura.”