The headlines went agog Tuesday when the Senate upon receiving the report of its adhoc committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-east, asked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal to resign his position for abuse of office.
The SGF was indicted for using his office to not only get kickbacks from contracts but also facilitating the award of contracts to Rholavision Engineering Ltd, a company owned by him. The Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) which is under the SGF could not allegedly account for N2.5b allocated to it for the alleviation of the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The allegations are particularly grave considering the serious humanitarian crisis ravaging the IDPs. Pictures of children suffering from acute starvation, shortage of food supplies and inadequate medical facilities have been common place in recent times.
One would have expected Mr Lawal to dispassionately address the allegations leveled against him with facts and figures but what did we get? He called the findings of the Senate “nonsense” and“balderdash”. Like seriously?? The Senate of the Federal Republic and apex lawmaking making body in the land? Even the President wouldn’t dare address the hallowed chambers with such uncomplimentary remarks. In saner climes, that unguided utterance would have earned the SGF an immediate suspension or censure by the President.
The issues are did he get paid N200m in 20 installments of N10m each from a contract he awarded for clearing of “invasive plant species” in Yobe State? Did he maintain his position as a Director of Rholavision Engineering till 16th September, 2016, over a year after his assumption of office as SGF? The alleged misappropriation of N127b part donations for care of the IDPs, what was his role in this or how did the monies grow wings? Over-inflation of contracts and breach of the Public Procurement act also topped findings. Instead of responding to this, Mr Lawal attempted to evoke public sympathy by playing the “victim”- a now consistent strategy used by those accused of corruption.
The extent of the humanitarian crisis in the North-east despite the avalanche of critical government agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Commission for Refugees (NCR) and other international humanitarian agencies has shown a lack of synergy and proper coordination. This much was revealed by the Senate and it is in itself an indictment on the administration under which the SGF is the engine room for policy formulation and coordination.
The only attempt made at tepid defence by Mr Lawal was his claim that he resigned from Rholavision in August 2015 while the Senate insisted that from its investigations and documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), he still held sway till September this year. The claims by the SGF that he wasn’t invited by the Senate ad-hoc committee before submission of its report and therefore insinuating a pre-determined conclusion is neither here nor there. It is at the Committee’s discretion to choose whether it is necessary to invite the SGF or not, especially someone as highly placed that has the requisite resources to cover his tracks. If indeed he feels strongly he has been defamed, the courts are there to sue for defamation of character or libel. But as it stands, Mr Lawal has lost all moral rights to remain in his exalted office until otherwise adjudged innocent.
The Senate has asked that the SGF resigns to pave way for his prosecution. Well, no one willfully resigns in this clime except compelled to do so or shown the way out. This is where President Buhari comes in. The first major litmus test for his anti-corruption war will be how he handles the SGF conundrum. I think by now, the President ought to have suspended the SGF and asked the anti-corruption agencies to conduct an independent investigation of the Senate’s report. If judges can be invaded in the middle of the night by agents of the State for alleged corrupt practices, if they can be asked to recuse themselves until they prove their innocence, the SGF has no moral authority to spend a day longer in office.
Now is the time for the President to show that in his famed anti-corruption war, there will be no sacred cows. Just like the Senate President, Bukola Saraki said, “we will watch how the President handles this”. Just as officials of the past administration are being tried for arms contract scam that prolonged the Boko haram insurgency, culprits of this IDP contract scam must be made to face justice. The President must act with dispatch on this to send a strong signal to officials of his administration that no one, no matter how highly placed will be spared if enmeshed in corruption.
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