Contract fraud: Senate calls for resignation, prosecution of SGF

The Senate on Wednesday indicted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, on alleged sharp practices in award of contracts for the provision of facilities for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in North East, calling on him to resign and face prosecution

The SGF allegedly owns one of the companies awarded contracts in the rehabilitation of the North-East under the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE).

Meanwhile, the SGF in a swift reaction dismissed the position of the Senate on the issue describing it as absolute nonsense

The SGF in a chat with newsmen after the 2017 Budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the lawmakers took a position without inviting him to state his own side of the case.

He confirmed ownership of ‎Global Vision Limited which took the N200 million worth of contract on IDP project, stating that he had resigned as one of the directors of the company on August 18, 2015, even before his appointment as SGF.

He said, “It is very instructive no effort was made to invite me. They did the session to malign me.

“Nigerian politicians have formed the attitude of bring him down by all means. I have the report of the committee with me.”

Lawal came under the Senate hammer through a motion moved by Senator Dino Melaye bothering on alleged contract fraud with IDP project involving the officials of government.

Melaye, while reading from the report of the Ad hoc committee on Humanitarian Services in the North East noted that “ a company was awarded a consultancy contract on invasive plant species in Yobe State and that the SGF who claimed to have resigned from it was still signatory to its account.”

The Senator from Kogi said the SGF’s action was an embarrassment to the anti-corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
Senator Solomon Adeola who expressed support for the motion said “the actions of the FG in recent times was nothing to write home about.”

He also canvassed for immediate resignation of the SGF and his prosecution on the strength of the allegation preferred against him.
Majority of the senators unanimously agreed that the SGF should resign when the Senate President, Bukola Saraki put the question on whether or not the Senate should take such a position.

Before now, the Senate and the SGF have been having running battles over some salient issues bothering on conduct by members of the cabinet, as the Senate had once threatened to issue a bench warrant on the SGF for failing to heed its initial summon.

Indications are rife that the Senate would again summon the SFG to appear before it over his reaction and his dismissal of the call for his resignation.