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The Senate has sent its final report, which indicted the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) David Babachir Lawal for corruption, to the Presidency.
This followed the adoption of the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday plenary, where the final report of the Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East was endorsed.
Presenting the panel’s final report, chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Shehu Sani, pointed out that contrary to earlier media report, the suspended SGF spent N570million to remove invasive plant species in Yobe State and not N272million.
The committee which indicted the suspended SGF over his roles in the misappropriation of funds allocated to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the North East, called for his immediate prosecution.
Sani disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that Lawal was still the signatory to the account of Rholavision until February 15, 2017 which shares the same Bank Verification Number (BVN) with his personal account and 13 other accounts in commercial banks.
The ad-hoc committee indicted the embattled SGF for contravening the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations on the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on North-East (PINE).
Babachir is currently being investigated by a three-man Presidential panel over his role on the matter.
The upper legislative chamber adjourned and reopened plenary within 15 minutes on Wednesday to approve the day’s Votes and Proceedings to complete the parliamentary process required in arriving at a logical conclusion in any matter before a decision is conveyed to the President.
In an interim report last December, it indicted Lawal and called for his suspension and prosecution. He declined to appear before the committee on two occasions.
“The Banks transactions of Rholavision Engineering Limited and the confirmation of the Central Bank of Nigeria that the Bank Verification Number of Engr. Babachir David Lawal is still the signatory to Rholavision Engineering Limited accounts and thirteen (13) other accounts, some with different names; the Committee is of the opinion that Engr. Babachir David Lawal has contravened the provision of Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended); the Public Procurement Act 2007 and breach the Oaths of Office as Secretary to the Government of the Federation should be prosecuted by the relevant authorities.
“That the Committee also recommend further investigation by relevant Agencies of Government on why contract benefitting companies paid over five hundred million (N500,000,000.00) naira into Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company in which Engr. Babachir David Lawal has interest,” the report read in part.
The Committee also called on the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to undertake a revaluation of all contracts awarded by PINE with a view to recovering any proceeds from over-inflated contracts.
Senators were shocked to hear that apart from the N270 million for the grass cutting contract, another N200million was used for consultancy.
All 12 recommendations of the committee were unanimously adopted.
The report revealed that after receiving payments from the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE), at least five companies separately paid over N400million to the Eco Bank account (182001809) of Rholavision Engineering Limited owned by Lawal.
The committee chairman listed the companies and amounts transferred to Lawal’s private account between March and October 2016 to include: Josmon Technologies Limited (N317 million), JMT Global Technologies Limited (N30 million), Messrs Adamawa Boreholes and Drilling Companies Limited (N18 million) and Barde Brothers Multi-Services Limited (N71million).
Reacting after the adoption of the final report, Senate President Bukola Saraki confirmed the existence of pressure to interfere and protect the suspended SGF.
He said: “The quality of the report despite political pressure that we know exists is highly commendable. The facts and document available to the committee are damning. The problem in the North East will not get better unless we do something urgently.
“What is happening in the North East calls to question activities of the anti-graft agencies. I don’t think that Babachir is the beginning of corruption in that agency (PINE). The system made it possible for this kind of looting. It is not just about Babachir. It is a systemic problem that must be tackled. It also calls for stringent oversight”.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
