According to the agency, the change is intended to strengthen and realign it in order to fulfill its mandate as best it can.
Michael Nzekwe was named Chief of Staff by Ola Olukoyede, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He has also appointed Zonal Directors for each of the 14 Zonal Commands of the Commission as part of the restructuring of the EFCC.
According to Olukayode, the ongoing restructuring is meant to reposition and strengthen the EFCC so that it can deliver optimally on its assigned mandate.
The anti-graft agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, announced the new appointments and changes in a statement on Saturday.
Nzekwe, who he described as a top-notch investigator, lawyer and former Commander of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC, is a course one officer of the Commission.
He has served in various departments in the Commission, including Legal and Prosecution Department, the Department of Operations (now the Department of Investigations), the Department of Internal Affairs ( the Department of Ethics and Integrity), Servicom, and the Asset Forfeiture Department.
“A seasoned administrator, he has attended several trainings and courses home and abroad, including the Advance Defence Intelligence Officers Course organised by Defence Intel Agency, DIA. The appointment takes immediate effect and he has assumed duties,” the statement added.
In restructuring and repositioning the EFCC, Olukayode upgraded all the Zonal Commands of the commission to the status of departments, with each of them headed by a director.
“To this effect, 14 new Directors have been appointed to head each of the Zonal Commands,” Oyewale wrote in the statement.
“Additionally, to bolster and fortify the security architecture of the commission, the Security Unit of the EFCC has been upgraded to a Department with a seasoned officer appointed as Director, Security and Chief Security Officer.”
Also, a new department has also been created in the Executive Chairman’s office, and it is headed by former Makurdi Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Mr. Friday Ebelo, who also doubles as Director and Coordinator, Special Duties, at the corporate headquarters of the commission.
In addition to that, the former Department of Internal Affairs has been renamed Department of Ethics and Integrity and minor reshuffling effected in some departments at the headquarters.