Sixty-nine days after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led panel presented its report on the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal and the suspended Director General of the National Sixty-nine days after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led panel presented its report on the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal and the suspended Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ayodele Oke, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally sacked the duo.
Buhari, who took the action on Monday, said he has studied the report of the panel headed by Osinbajo, which investigated allegations of corruption leveled against Lawal and Oke.
The president, who stated this in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said that he accepted the recommendation of the panel to terminate the appointment of Lawal. Adesina added that the President has appointed Boss Mustapha as the new SGF.
The new appointment, according to the Presidency, takes immediate effect. Buhari also approved the recommendation to terminate the appointment of Oke, and has further approved the setting up of a three-member panel to, among other things, look into the operational, technical and administrative structure of the NIA and make appropriate recommendations.
The Daily Times recalls that Osinbajo had on August 23, 2017, submitted the report to Buhari when he (Buhari) returned to Nigeria after his three months medical vacation in the United Kingdom.
Buhari had on April 19, 2017, suspended Lawal, five months after the Senate called for his sacking and prosecution over allegations of financial impropriety.
While Lawal was suspended on his alleged involvement in the award of contracts as the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), Ayodele Oke was suspended over the recovery of humongous $43 million, N23 million and £27,000 in cash (about N13 billion).
Days after the EFCC made the discovery, the NIA reportedly claimed that the recovered funds belonged to it and that it was meant for a covert operation.
But the private apartment in Lagos in which the cash was found was later discovered to belong to Oke’s wife. In suspending both men, the President set up a three-man panel headed by Osinbajo, with the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the National Security Adviser, Gen. Monguno (rtd) as members, to investigate the allegations against both men.
The committee was given 14 days to complete its investigation and submit its report to the President. But the committee was unable to submit the report on schedule as the President travelled to London on May 7 for medical attention, a trip that kept him away from the country for more than three months.
The delay in taking a decision on Lawal and Oke had led to widespread criticism of Buhari’s capacity to act against errant public officials who are close to him while the general public viewed his delayed action as contrary to the much touted anti-graft war of his administration.
The Daily Times had penultimate week ago, reported that Buhari had failed to act on the suspended duo 56 days after Osinbajo-led panel presented its report on Lawal and Oke.
But less than 24 hours after Buhari sacked Lawal and Oke, a non-governmental organisation, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has called on President to hand over the duo to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) “for further investigation, and if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence, for them to face prosecution.”
In a statement made available on Monday by its deputy director, Timothy Adewale, SERAP said that the development was a positive development in the fight against grand corruption, although the decision was coming rather late.
According to the group, Buhari now has to go a step further by making sure that both Lawal and Oke are promptly brought to justice in fair trials.
The statement reads in part: “Buhari also has to move swiftly to publish report of investigation into the secret reinstatement of fugitive former civil servant, Abdulrasheed Maina, and without delay identify and bring to justice anyone suspected to be involved.
“This government now has a real opportunity to reassure a lot of Nigerians who may be worried about the direction of travel of the president’s anti-corruption agenda that there will be no sacred cow as far as the fight against corruption is concerned.
“What the government needs at this time is a revolutionary approach to the fight against corruption if Buhari is to show his commitment to ‘kill’ corruption before corruption ‘kills’ Nigeria.
“Without effective prosecution of high-ranking public officials charged with corruption, this government’s fight against corruption may sadly turn out to be all motion and no movement, and this will eventually undermine the legitimacy of the anti-corruption efforts.”
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the party has been vindicated over the sacking of Lawal. Reacting to the presidency’s removal of the suspended SGF on Monday in Abuja at the party Secretariat, APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the President has done the needful.
He said: “Few days ago when the President directed the dismissal of Abdulrasheed Maina, some people said that is right but what about the suspended SGF BD Lawal; we as a party said look, the President is the only person who has all the information.
“The President by the virtue of the position he occupies is the only one who has all the information and he would do what is necessary at the right time.
“Now we have been vindicated and it shows that the President has not in any way, waived his commitment not to tolerate corruption at any level no matter who is involved”.
Also in his reaction during a telephone conversation, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), said the sacking was overdue.
He said: “I think there has been a consensus on this and that was overdue. There has been too much delay. Although I will like to put a caveat that government usually has a lot more information than the rest of us as the delay might have been discretionary due to the information they had.
I was patient and I definitely endorse the final decision that has been taken”. On the appointment of Boss Mustapha as the substantive SGF, Sagay said: “Boss Mustapha has a very long history of political activities and my impression on him is that, apart from being a lawyer with a very good reputation in terms of integrity, he has always been a consistent person in whatever course he pursues.
So, I think that we should okay this, as it is a positive development”, he added. Meanwhile, a senior lawyer, Mr. Ezechukwu Ikechukwu, SAN, while reacting to the development, said the action of the president was as a result of pressure from various pressure groups in the country.
The senior lawyer, who wondered why it took President Buhari so long to act on the said report, added that the president’s approval of their sack was not with a clear mind.
He said: “The president is fighting the said corruption alone. All the cabinet members are not behind him. How come a president that is fighting corruption did not know that Abdurasheed Maina who absconded from the country due to corrupt practice was smuggled back and reappointed and also given a high position without the knowledge of the president?
