|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Abubakar Maihaja, Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday disclosed that the agency received relief materials worth N5 billion through the North-East intervention fund.
Maihaja who appeared before the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Management, chaired by Ali Isah, however denied receipt of N5 billion cash as alleged by the lawmakers.
The Committee during the probe of suspended six staff, resolved to invite Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who doubles as NEMA Board chairman; Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Service Federal Civil service of the Federation and Ahmed Idris, Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).
The Committee however noted that the Vice President is at liberty to send a representative considering the exigency of the duties.
While giving update on the intervention fund, Maihaja explained that the sum of N829 million for logistics, security and used for the movement of the materials to the troubled region.
“I received items not money worth N5.036 billion and we were instructed to pick them from the stores. Some companies have not however delivered theirs like Golden Agric input Limited.
“Food items were reviewed from Dangote, BOA Flour Mills and others. We have distributed and still distributing, 50 percent was moved to Maiduguri, 20 percent to Yobe and 10 to Bauchi Gombe and Taraba. Our officers were deployed to do mass distribution.
“The instruction to pick the materials emanated from the office of the Acting President.
“The background to the project was that on 21 April, the SGF wrote a memo following scaling down of support from international agencies and by implication, 145 million people will be affected.
“If by June nothing was done, famine and hunger remain highly probable. Government responded and NEMA was asked to move in and distribute.”
The Director General was also questioned on the eligibility of some companies engaged for the supply of 10,000 metric tonnes of rice.
“We engaged the companies under emergency as proscribed under Emergency Act.
“We approached the BPP with the available documents required and BPP said that deficiencies should be updated for further review for the issuance of Certificate of no objection immediately after emergency.
“It was recognized in a letter that the situation and circumstances warranted that the agency should continue with the documentation after the emergency period.
“Delay in procurement is crucial here. Under emergency situation the engagement of the said companies was in order, according to BPP.
“The law does not emphasise bidding for contract during emergency,” he added.
The NEMA Director General informed the Committee that the decision to suspend the six officers was taken by the council after it was inaugurated by the Vice President.
“When asked suspension was verbal or formal and if procedure as prescribed by public service rule book was followed in the suspension, Maihaja responded that suspension was not verbal.
“The report of the EFCC that led to the decision to suspend the officers was not released to the members though they were allowed to scrutinise it.
“At the meeting, members were not allowd to take the letter out but allowed to go through it because the EFCC investigation is still ongoing.
“The reality is that the document is confidential and the Chairman made us aware if that that giving it out meant information therein would be exposed.
“The instruction for the suspension wasn’t verbal by VP but at the meeting of governing council that gave the approval. It was a resolution of the governing council.
“If the Vice President had wanted to give instruction verbally, he would have done that before the inauguration of the council.
“Minutes of meeting was taken and developed, the extract was used to communicate to the Human Resources Unit for onward transmission to the affected officers.
“The EFCC is a statutory body established by law and it is acting according to its mandate, it brought the issue to the attention of the council and recommended that some of these officers be suspended.
“The Council took the decision and taking instruction from the Council, I signed the letters. The EFCC investigation is still ongoing.”
On the qualification of officers that signed contract award documents, he said: “To the best of my conviction and according to the records, we had no Procurement officer as at that time but Planning Officers who were not qualified to carry out such assignment,” the NEMA chief said.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
