Hafsat Bakari was appointed as the Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit on Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu, subject to Senate approval.
Bakari takes over for Modibbo Tukur, who Tinubu fired in June 2023.
The appointment was announced in a statement made by Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu’s Special Advisor to the President for Media and Publicity.
Bakari was characterized as a financial intelligence specialist and attorney with years of experience in counterterrorism finance, financial intelligence, and anti-money laundering.
She held various positions at the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, including Deputy Director, 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, prior to her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU.
The statement added that Tinubu, “anticipates that Ms. Bakare will bring her wealth of experience and expertise to full discharge in this critical role, especially in view of his administration’s war against illicit financial flows and other sharp practices currently prevalent in segments of the nation’s foreign exchange markets”
