Group Changes Opposition to SGF, Accuses Senate of Witch-hunt

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

A civil activist group, Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), has withdrawn the threat to mobilise Nigerians for a public protest, if the embattled Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, was not arrested and prosecuted for corrupt practices by January 1, 2017, after he was indicted in a contract scam by the Senate Ad hoc Committee report on the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).
The group, which is a member of the coalition of civil society organisations, accused the Senator Shehu Sanni-led committee of witch-hunting and for making up accusations against Lawal.

The ad hoc committee, had, following investigations into deplorable conditions at the camps of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east, discovered fraud and corruption in the in activities of PINE. It subsequently recommended the removal of Lawal for abuse of office after a company linked to him , Rholavision was allegedly awarded a consultancy contract for the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe State to the tune N223 million.

But Ibrahim Garuba Wala of CATBAN, at a Public Hearing tuesday in Abuja, said the group suspended its planned action at the end of the December 31, 2016, ultimatum in the light of fresh findings and after it became clear that the committee did not give the SGF the opportunity to defend those allegations before making its recommendations.
Wala alleged that political intrigues and constituency project war similar to that of SURE P were at the heart of the crisis, saying that some officials of one of the troubled north-east states, wanted PINE contract to be allocated directly to their states instead of independent companies.

He said that evidence at the disposal of the activist group which visited some of the states, discovered that contrary to the general heading that the contract was to clear grass in IDP camps, the document clearly stated that it was for the removal of invasive ‘’thypa grass’’, along the river channels to enhance irrigation farming in Yobe State.
According to him, the contract was undertaken by Josmon Technologies Limited and not Rholavision which was only engaged as project consultants at the cost of N7 million only.

“The contract letter was signed by Aminu Ahmed, the Head of Procurement, PINE. From the foregoing, we were able to verify from the documents that the contract had nothing to do with grass cutting at IDP camp, but of course, it was to remove invasive plants along river channels to aid the rehabilitation of IDPs by enabling easy flow of water through the channels, to boost fishing activities , proper irrigation for farming activities and eliminate flooding for the communities during the raining season, when they return home from the camps after being displaced by Boko Haram insurgency, ‘’ Wala said.

He defended Lawal, saying from available facts, he actually resigned from Rholavision Engineering and all companies where he held shares, through his letter of resignation addressed to his lawyers, D.D Azura &Co on August 28, 2015. He added that the decision by the SGF to subsume PINE operations into the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative (PCNI) under Gen TY Danjuma, followed the discovery of N1 billion embezzlement perpetrated through awards of loans to fictitious NGOs formed by most of the personnel within.

While shedding light on the reported N200 million paid to Rholavision in 20 tranches, Alhaji Hussein Samdi of Josmon Technical Nigeria Ltd, told the public hearing that the payment made to Rholavision was to cover a loan to execute a contract for the supply of 49 locally made canoes, 12 power boats, and 115 bore holes dug in the region.
Samdi said they approached Rholavision to advance him a N170 million loan to augment his N50 million cash. He said Rholavision was paid back N195 million with the addition of N25million as interests remitted through Kamira Technical Works which served as guarantor for the borrower.