About

Umar Yakubu holds a Ph.D. and has expertise in national security, the criminal justice system, economic development and data science. He has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, with a strong focus on anti-corruption and good governance.

Key Experience and Contributions

Anti-Corruption & Financial Crime: From 2007 to 2017, Yakubu worked at Nigeria’s Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, where he was directly involved in creating and implementing policies for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). He served on the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force (PCFATF) and a technical committee whose efforts resulted in Nigeria's removal from a high-risk countries list. He was also a member of the National Risk Assessment Secretariat on Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.

National and International Initiatives: Yakubu was one of eight members who developed Nigeria's National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which was implemented from 2017 to 2021. He has consulted for international organizations such as the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering (GIABA), the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC), and the European Union (EU). At the United Nations General Assembly, he was part of the Sixth Committee, assessing Nigeria's implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) measures. He was also invited by the U.S. State Department to attend the International Visitors Leadership Programme.

Innovative Mechanisms: Yakubu developed the first civil society mechanism for monitoring the implementation of UNCAC articles across several countries. In 2021, he created the Transparency & Integrity Index, a tool used to continuously assess how federal, state, and local government institutions comply with international and domestic laws on open governance, budget transparency, and accountability. He also developed the first artificial intelligence tool to promote procurement integrity, the first private sector-led criminal database from open sources, and several other tools aimed at improving the criminal justice system and reducing crime.

Professional Background

Education and Training: Yakubu holds degrees from several institutions, including a Ph.D. in Defence & Security Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy. Other degrees are Economics from Ahmadu Bello University, Masters in Business Administration from University of Chester and Masters in Counter-Corruption and Counter-Fraud Studies from the University of Portsmouth. He has certificates from several institutions including University of Leiden, University of Leicester, Sustainable Development Goals Academy, MIT and Harvard Business School.

He has completed over fifty courses both in Nigeria and abroad to further his knowledge on strategies on broad range of subjects. His training includes time with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Royal Canadian Metropolitan Police (RCMP), and the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC).

Leadership and Affiliations: He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Counter Fraud Center and Intelligensys & Strategies Ltd, a technological firm. He also serves as the Chief Research Officer for the Organized Crime Research and Resilience Initiative and is the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Fiscal Transparency & Public Integrity, a civil society organization. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Nigerian Economic Society (NES), the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Publications and Lectures: Yakubu regularly writes opinion articles on good governance for major Nigerian newspapers and appears on various media outlets to analyze issues around good governance. He also gives talks and lectures at different forums.