- The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has been cleared by an interim report conducted by a civil society organization
- SGF was indicted over alleged abuse of the Public Procurement Acts in contract awarded by the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE)
- The Co-convener of Citizens Action To Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), Ibrahim Garba Wala, said the report by the Senate ad-hoc committee which indicted the SGF is full of “unfortunate lies”
Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has been cleared by an interim report conducted by a civil society organization, Daily Trust reports.
The Co-convener of Citizens Action To Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), Ibrahim Garba Wala, has said the report by the Senate ad-hoc committee which indicted the SGF, over alleged abuse of the Public Procurement Acts in contract awarded by the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE) is full of “unfortunate lies”.
CATBAN, a civil society organization, which presented the report of its independent investigations on the grass cutting scandal in Abuja Tuesday, January 3, stated that the contract was carried out contrary to the Senate ad-hoc committee report.
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Wala while presenting the report on CATBAN’s facts -finding mission to the North-east region said: “CATBAN can assert with authority that the contract was indeed carried out. The claims that it was meant to clear grass in IDP camp or that nothing has been done are nothing but unfortunate lies.”
He also said the testimonies of people they met and the evidence before them proved that it was a worthwhile contract that was executed for the benefit of the people.
The report showed that the said grass cutting contract was originally tagged “Award of contract for removal of invasive plants along river channels and 115 hectares of simplified village irrigation operation in Your state.”
The findings from the report also revealed that Rheolavision Engineering, which is linked to the SGF, was not the main contractor that got the job.
The report also revealed that on August 28, 2015, Lawal resigned from Rheolavision Engineering and all the other companies he had shareholdings in through a letter of resignation to his lawyers, D. D Azura and co.
The Senate had asked President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend and ensure prosecution of Lawal, over alleged breach of Nigeria’s law in handling contracts awarded by PINE.
Lawal’s company, Global Vision Ltd., is one of the companies indicted by the committee for allegedly benefiting from inflated and phantom contracts or ones not executed at all awarded by the PINE.
His firm was said to have been awarded over N200 million contract to clear ‘invasive plant specie’ in Yobe State.
Menwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has removed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as chairman of the presidential committee on the reconstitution of federal government boards of parastatals, agencies and commissions.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been appointed to chair the presidential committee.
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