Cabinet reshuffle looms as President cancels FEC
Four months after the suspension of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal and the Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayodele Oke, President Muhammadu Buhari is set to take definite action on the duo as he received probe panel report on the two public officials over their alleged involvement in different corruption scandals.
Buhari had in April, following their suspension, set up the probe panel chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo just as the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, served as members.
This is even as the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which holds Wednesdays was put off by the President without any reason.
But a source at the Presidency told The Daily Times that Buhari was determined to take dire step to change the cause of governance, adding that the President had vowed to deal decisively with any government official involved in any act of malpractices.
The source further claimed that the cabinet may be reshuffled, saying that the development might not be unconnected to the cancellation of the FEC meeting. He said:
“Having received the report and to show President Buhari’ seriousness on the matter, certain people in the cabinet may be dropped because the president has reiterated that he would no longer tolerate any form of corruption in his government”.
The Daily Times also gathered that in a matter of days, the President would make some shocking changes in his cabinet as some names have been penciled down for replacement.
While Lawal was probed over allegations of violation of due process in the award of contracts as the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), Oke was probed on the discovery of humongous N13billion cash by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, in which the NIA was reportedly laying claim to the cash.
But when the Federal High Court that ordered forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government asked interested parties to show why the money should not be forfeited, the NIA did not file any application to show that the money belongs to it.
Osinbajo, who chaired the panel, submitted the report to Buhari on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja. Speaking to State House correspondents after submitting the report, Osinbajo said, “It is in the interest of the country that things are done properly.
The APC-led government will ensure that things are done properly.” Asked if heads will roll as a result of the probe, Osinbajo said: “How can I tell you? If you want to know what is in the report, you have to wait.” The vice-president said the president would study details of the recommendations his committee submitted to him before taking decision.
He said: “Well as you can imagine, we are always fair minded and the whole approach is to ensure that justice is done in all cases.
It is in the interest of the government and also the interest of the nation that things are done properly and that there is due process and that we are not unfair. You can be sure that we will do the right thing.
“It is in the interest of the government and also the interest of the nation that things are done properly and that there is due process and that we are not unfair.
You can be sure that we will do the right thing. “It is a fact-finding committee as you know and what our terms of reference were was to find out based on the fact available to us and based on the interviews of witnesses of what transpired in those cases of the report one involving the SGF and the other the DG of NIA.
“We have now concluded that and we submitted a full report with recommendations to the president. We cannot, of course, give you any kind of details because the president has to look at the report, study it and then make his own decisions based on that report.
“This is a document which has just been submitted to the president. He is the one who will read the recommendations and the facts and then make a decision. “If you want to know what is in the report you have to wait, you really have to wait.
