By Taiye Odewale
Abuja
For the third time the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir Lawal, yesterday shunned the invitation by the Senate ad hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-east.
This was as the chairman of the Committee, Senator Shehu Sani, insisted that Lawal’s absence notwithstanding, the Committee would compile and lay its report before the Senate next week.
Lawal was to appear before the committee yesterday over his alleged role in the misappropriation of funds allocated for the rehabilitation the IDPs in the North- east.
Meanwhile, Lawal is being investigated by a Presidential Committee on the allegation, headed by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Presenting the report to the apex chamber last December, Sani said that some of the contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials’ cronies and family members including Lawal’s own company.
According to him, the committee found that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company, with Lawal as Director, was awarded consultancy contract, noting that the company’s major role was the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe state.
However, in a new development, the Senate adhoc committee investigating the matter wrote a letter inviting the suspended SGF to its meeting in continuation of the investigation.
The invitation letter to Lawal which was signed by the clerk to the adhoc committee, Mr. Barau Bungudu, asked the embattled Lawal to appear at a fresh public hearing scheduled for 10am yesterday, but just like in the previous invitations, he failed to honour it.
Briefing journalists two hours after the committee waited in vain to hear from Lawal, the chairman of the committee, Senator Shehu Sani, expressed disappointment that the suspended SGF did not show up, neither did he communicate to the lawmakers on why he failed to attend the session.
He said: “The last time the committee invited him, the suspended SGF said we should give him more time because he was engaged in other official engagements; and we thought that now that he is under suspension, he would have enough time to be here.
“We sent letters to his former office, and his house but the one for his house could not be delivered because the men at the gate turned back our messenger. Now we are here since 10am waiting for him and its now 12. It is clear to us that he is not appearing. As you can see, he is not here.
“As far as we are concerned, we would certainly go ahead and present our report on the floor of the Senate based on the fact and figures we have with us at our disposal. We believe that in the interest of fairness and justice, we should sacrifice time, but he is not here.”
