The Senate on Tuesday, February 27, confirmed President Bola Tinubu’s nominee, Hafsat Bakare, for appointment as the director/chief executive officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
The resolution of the red chamber followed its adoption of the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes that screened the nominee.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Menga Udende, presented the report to the Senate.
The Senate approved the recommendation of the committee when it was put to voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio in his remark congratulated Bakare on her appointment and urged her to bring to bear her wealth of experience in uplifting the operations and effectiveness of the NFIU.
President Tinubu had last week nominated Bakari to head the NFIU pending her confirmation by the Senate.
By the appointment, Bakari will replace Modibbo Tukur who was relieved of his job by President Tinubu in June 2023.
Bakari is a lawyer and financial intelligence expert with years of experience in anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and counter-proliferation financing.
She is said to have “enough experience to discharge the duties.”
Before her nomination for appointment as the CEO of the NFIU, Bakari served as deputy director at the NFIU, and was at different times the Head of the General Services Unit; Head of the Strategy and Reorientation Unit, and Head of the Board Secretariat of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The NFIU is the agency responsible for collecting and analyzing disclosures from reporting organizations, to produce financial intelligence to other agencies combating money laundering, terrorism, and other financial crimes.
The NFIU was established in 2004 as an autonomous unit within the central coordinating body for the country’s Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing, and Counter-Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) framework of Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN).
It also operates as part of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
