Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, his committee’s report on investigations into allegations against the duo of suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babachir Lawal, and the DirectorGeneral, National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke. And also yesterday, President Buhari cancelled the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which would have been his fi rst since returning home from a 103-day medical vacation in London.
Although his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who announced this in a statement in Abuja, did not give any reason for the cancellation, he nevertheless said President Buhari would receive the report of the investigation committee into the allegations against the suspended duo at noon. Prior to his departure, Buhari, on Wednesday, April, 19, 2017, suspended both Lawal and Oke, following which he set up a three-man panel, headed by Vice President Osinbajo to probe allegations against them.
Other members of the committee given two weeks to submit its report are; AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno. Specifi cally, the committee was mandated to investigate allegations of violations of law and due process, made against Lawal in the award of grass cutting contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North-east (PINE), running into N270million.
Similarly, the panel was also asked to investigate the recovery of N13.3 billion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, which the NIA claimed ownership. President to act -VP Asked to provide some insights into the report, the VP declined, saying Buhari has fi nal decision on what becomes the fate of the top government functionaries. Speaking to State House correspondents after submitting the report, Osinbajo said, the President has to study it fi rst before taking a decision based on the committee’s recommendations. “It is a fact-fi nding committee as you know, and what our terms of reference were was to fi nd out, based on the fact available to us and based on the interviews of witnesses of what transpired in those cases, 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. “All I can say now is that we have submitted the report to the President and it is a very detailed report as a matter of fact. Th e President has to study the report and make decisions,” he said, On whether heads would roll based on the report, the Vice President said: “No, how can I tell you? If you want to know what is in the report, you have to wait. You really have to wait.” Senate’s earlier fi ndings Th e grass cutting contract set the Senate against the Presidency after the former, through an ad-hoc committee, found the erstwhile SGF guilty of not conforming with due process, and also awarding the PINE contract to a company where he had vested interest. All invitations extended to the then SGF by the lawmakers were reportedly snubbed. Rather than initiate a probe, President Buhari fi red a missive to the National Assembly, absolving Lawal of any wrongdoing, a development that brought both arms of government on a collision course. He was, however, to have a rethink after stern public criticism and consequently set up a committee, headed by Osinbajo to probe the allegation as well as that of the NIA boss.
