NIGERIAN SGF REACTS TO SENATE'S CALL FOR HIS SACK AND PROSECUTION

The Nigerian Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has said that calls by the Nigerian Senate for his resignation and prosecution are an attempt to rubbish his person.

Mr. Lawal said this while speaking to journalists shortly after the 2017 Budget Proposal presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that efforts to get more response from the SGF failed as he did not respond to further questions.

The Senate had at plenary earlier called for the removal and prosecution of the SGF following alleged complicity in the diversion of the North East humanitarian funds.

This followed the presentation of interim report of the Adhoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East by the Chairman of the Committee, Shehu Sani.

The call for Mr. Lawal’s removal followed alleged contravention of the provisions of Public Procurement Act and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations pertaining to award of contracts.

Presenting the report, Mr. Sani said that some of the contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials’ cronies and family members.

He explained that the committee found out that Global Vision Engineering Limited, a company, with Mr. Lawal as Director, for instance, was awarded consultancy contract.

Despite being an IT company, the firm got a job to clear grass in Yobe at N200 million.

“Although, Lawal resigned the directorship of the said company in September 2016, it is on record that he is a signatory to the accounts of the company,’’ he said.

Ironically, Mr Lawal had in January this year declared that “Corruption” is the main opposition that government faces, today and not any political party.

 He made the remarks in his office while receiving a delegation of a Coalition of    Progressive Political Parties led by Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf Bashir of the Peoples  Democratic Movement (PDM).

 According to him, the unusual but powerful opposition has enormous resources  with which it has launched a propaganda war.

 He, however assured that the government, because of its honesty, integrity and  sincerity of purpose, will prevail in the anti-corruption war.

 He said that the war will be won also because the people of Nigeria and God are  behind the Buhari Administration.