Mr Yakubu, the Chief Executive of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW), was elected in a highly competitive process in the third round of the preferential vote to emerge as the African representative on the global coalition board.
The United Nations’ anti-corruption and money laundering agency, the Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), has elected Nigeria’s Umar Yakubu into its board.
Mr Yakubu, who is the Chief Executive of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW), was elected in the third round of the preferential vote as the African representative on the board of the global coalition.
UNCAC is a network of over 350 civil society organisations (CSOs) in over 100 countries and is committed to promoting the ratification, implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention against Corruption.
The Coalition was established in August 2006 with its headquarters in Vienna. It mobilises civil society actions for UNCAC at international, regional and national levels.
“Over the years, the Centre has continued to champion advocacies to entrench the culture of transparency and integrity in the nation’s public sector. It has also deployed technological solutions to promote accountability in the nation’s fight against corruption and strengthening of the criminal justice system,” a statement announcing the election, said.
It also added that the election would bolster the Centre’s resolve to combat corruption and promote good governance in Nigeria and across the sub-Saharan African sub-region.
It looks forward to working with other board members and global anti-corruption crusaders in the fight against corruption in whatever form, especially in the region.
Mr Yakubu, in his new role, will take part in providing policy coordination and oversight of the work of the Secretariat; overseeing the development and implementation of the Coalition’s strategy.
He will also take part in promoting the activities and projects of the Coalition, and helping to identify funding opportunities; communicating positions of the Coalition to wider public audiences; within sub-Saharan African.
Certified crime fighter
An economist and certified financial crime fighter, Mr Yakubu, cut his teeth in the anti-corruption fight as a detective at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] where he rose quickly at the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering unit of the agency, otherwise called SCUML.
The unit monitors and regulates designated non-financial institutions (DNFI) regarding compliance to Nigeria’s anti-money laundering law and combating the financing of terrorism regime.
At SCUML, Mr Yakubu represented the country at various national and regional committees through the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Ministry of Justice, and the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS in 2000.
From his SCUML years, colleagues and principals said Mr Yakubu was “dutiful” and according to Abdulazeez Elayo, a former financial crimes operative and currently a banking and insurance regulatory expert, Mr. Yakubu’s trajectory is a logical one as “the person who pioneered technology processes in the anti-money laundering framework outside the purview of the state and as a man who has shown unusual gift for greativity and innovation.”
A former Attorney-General of Adamawa State, Bala Sanga, who also headed SCUML, said in Abuja on Wednesday that: “Umar Yakubu is right fit for this appointment. In the course of my working with him, he showcased integrity and a versatile approach to issues surrounding AML/CFT and Anti-Corruption, as well as a huge appetite for work. Undoubtedly, he will bring into his new appointment, these same qualities.”
Chiamaka Okafor is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with , which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.”