|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led committee investigating the suspended Secretary to the Government of the General of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayo Oke would submit its report tomorrow.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, while speaking with journalists at the State House, Abuja, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Malami who is a member of the Osinbajo led panel which also has the National Security Adviser Babagana Mongunu declined to speak on the committee’s stand on making the report public.
“Well, you know the presidential committee that is investigating the NIA and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is supposed to make submission by tomorrow. “So, it is pre-emptive now to discuss anything considering the fact that 1. the committee is under the chairmanship of the Vice President who is supposed to brief the president in that respect and 2. the schedule for the committee’s assignment has not elapsed”. So, it will be pre-emptive to speak about the committee because the time fixed the assignment has not elapsed
and against the background of the fact that it is the chairman of the committee that should brief the president” he said.
President Buhari penultimate Wednesday suspended the SGF and the DG NIA and set up a committee to carryout a full-scale investigation into the issues surrounding the two of them. The committee was given 14 days to complete its work and report to the President.
Part of the tasks of the Osinbajo led committee is to investigate why the NIA, Nigeria’s Foreign Security agency kept $43.4m, N23m and £27,000 (N13bn) in a house in Ikoyi. The money was seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, following a tip-off from a whistle-blower.
A statement by Presidential Spokesman Femi Adesina, last week stated that the investigation is also 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.
The committee which was also saddled with the responsibility to investigate the allegations of violations of law and due process made against theSecretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), have grilled Oke and Lawal and others linked to their cases.
Malami said he came to brief the President on general issues as relates to anti-corruption. According to him, the President is worried that the anti-corruption bills that are pending before the National Assembly overtime are not being expeditiously handled.“Determination on the passage of the bills and indeed, the asset management agency was also part of the discussion” he said.
“Mr. President is worried that the assets that have been gathered over time by the agencies of government and that are responsible for the fight against corruption are scattered all over the place and embedded in the Proceeds of Crime Bill is Asset Management Agency which is the agency put in place by the presidency for the purpose of the management of the associated assets that are recovered” he added.
Malami said he also briefed the President on issues that relate to the parastatals under the Ministry of Justice. “As you are aware, this afternoon, the Electoral Reform Committee that has been put in place has submitted its report to my office. I equally briefed Mr. President on that and in addition to the report, there are bills that have been presented for the consideration of the Federal Executive Council as they relate to amendment to the electoral process. The whole essence of the meeting was to seek the view of Mr. President and the direction as to what to do next as it relates to the Electoral Reform Committee report that has been submitted and to consider routine processes under the Ministry of Justice”.
The president also met with the Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru.
Elizabeth Archibong
