Abdullahi M. Gulloma
The Senate, this week, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend and prosecute Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal. The Senate claimed that Lawal has breached the country’s law as it pertains to award of contracts.
Specifically, the Senate claimed that Lawal, through his actions, allegedly contravened the provisions of the Public Procurement Act and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations as far as the award of contracts by the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) is concerned.
The Senate’s resolution on Wednesday followed presentation of the report on the mounting humanitarian crisis in the north eastern part of the country by the Shehu Sani-led ad hoc committee.
Some companies the SGF is said to have substantial interest in are indicted by the committee for allegedly benefiting from inflated, phantom and unexecuted contracts awarded by the PINE.
Sani, while presenting the report, also indicted other government officials. He claimed that some contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials’ cronies and their family members.
And to emphasise the offence allegedly committed by the SGF, Senator Dino Melaye, said that “Babachir Lawal is a disgrace to the All Progressives Congress,” adding that the SGF “is exhibiting anti-Buhari tendency.”
Another senator, Isah Misau said the SGF should resign or be suspended and prosecuted afterwards. Interestingly, Misau said that the Buhari-led administration is having challenges with performance delivery “because of people like the SGF,” accusing the SGF of being responsible for the non-constitution of some boards of the federal government.
“Without the prosecution of the SGF, this anti-corruption fight will go nowhere,” he said. And, frankly speaking, could he have said it in a better way than he did?
For too long, the present administration has been accused of being nepotistic. Critics believe that the President is soft on his close allies, most of whom, it is argued in some quarters, did not deserve to occupy their office, but hard and uncompromising to his foes.
Agreed, sometimes nepotism is nearly impossible to avoid, especially in a situation like the Buhari found himself where most notable politicians are corrupt. Yet, officials of government should be encouraged to hold one another accountable for doing a good job or otherwise. This is where the legislature (Senate) should be commended for making the appointees of the President to be alive and accountable to their responsibilities.
It is the hope of many that the Senate, having seemingly thoroughly investigated the allegation leveled against some officials of government, once again presents another chance for the President to show that, indeed, in his administration’s fight against corruption there are no sacred cows.
The President should, in this direction, ensure that the Presidential Initiative for the North East stops the alleged taking of advantage of the emergency situation in the area to award fraudulent contracts, which sums, though huge, had little or no connection with the realities in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
The Presidency, like the Senate, should order the PINE to submit its documents pertaining to contracts to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and all the officials found to have contravened law in the processes of contracts award should be prosecuted.
