Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Though it can be said to have come late, still, it came. The suspensions are well deserved and the action commendable. For too long, President Muhammadu Buhari was criticised for keeping the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, in the face of series of allegations of misdemeanour in his official conduct.
Specifically, Lawal was suspended from office over allegations of violations of law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Also, the President has suspended the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke, from office over the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, which the NIA claims to own.
Consequently, the President has set up a three-man committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as members to investigate the suspended officials. The committee is to submit its report to the president within 14 days.
The President has directed that the most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF’s office and the most senior officer in the NIA should act during the period of the investigations.
On monies recovered by the EFCC, Osinbajo’s committee is to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.
On Wednesday, Osinbajo held a meeting with suspended Lawal, barely an hour after the announcement of his suspension. What was discussed at the meeting, of course, is of little or no importance, in the same way as the timing of the suspension was announced. For now, Nigerians await report of the investigation panel established by the President to investigate the accused persons.
Till then, however, it’s appropriate to say that the President has demonstrated good leadership in handling of the issue, forcefully expressed his determination to ensure good governance, and exhibited a high sense of patriotic zeal in dealing with cases of corruption in the country.
Though some argue that he was late in taking action, it cannot be denied that having established a committee to interface with the Senate in order to resolve differences existing between the legislators and the Presidency and listened to claims and counter-claims and controversies surrounding the discovery and ownership of the Ikoyi towers cash, the President is now sufficiently knowledgeable on the matters and how to best resolve them.
It is needless to say that how the matters are resolved will go a long way in determining how serious and sincere the present administration is on killing corruption before corruption, which is especially perpetrated in high places, kills the country and its peoples.
