N200m grass cutting scandal: SGF shuns Senate again

The suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation David Babachir Lawal, failed to appear before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East on Thursday.

The panel, which is probing Lawal’s alleged roles in the misappropriation of funds allocated to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the North East vowed to submit its final report next week.

At the resumption of the public hearing on Thursday, the suspended SGF failed to appear before the Shehu Sani-led committee.

This is the second time Lawal has refused to appear before the committee, having shunned the panel last month.

The  Upper Chamber had last December, in an interim report indicted Babachir for allegedly contravening the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations in a N200 million contract scandal over cutting of grass in the northeast.

The apex legislative body therefore called for his removal and prosecution by the President.

Addressing journalists after waiting for over two hours, committee chairman, Shehu Sani explained that Lawal’s decision not to appear before the committee was deliberate.

He alleged that security men working for the embattled official also turned back officials who went to his private residence to serve him invitation letter to the session.

Babachir is currently being investigated by a three-man presidential panel chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. He was suspended by the President last week to allow the panel carry out its investigation.

Sani also revealed that the committee had sent its interim report to the presidential panel, based on request from it.

“Now we are here since 10am waiting for him (Babachir) and it’s now 12noon. It’s clear to us that he is not appearing. And as you can see he is not here. We see this as a deliberate choice to absent himself from this committee.

“We will certainly go ahead and present our report to the floor of the Senate based on the facts and figures we have with us in our disposal.

“Since he has decided to absent himself, we declare this a no-show for him.  And that will not in anyway stop us from presenting our report on the floor of the Senate next week,” said Sani.