IDP Contract Scam: SGF Shuns Senate Again

The suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, for the third time  not only kept waiting for hours ,but finally shunned  the meeting with  Senate Ad hoc committee investigating the mounting humanitarian challenges in the North East , and  the alleged N220m  contract abuse in the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE)
According to the Chairman of the committee , Shehu Sani, the Committee had earlier informed   the suspended SGF  of the scheduled meeting by writing but the SGF failed to appear before the committee, even two hours after the slated  10 am  without any information  on for his absence.
Senator Sani briefing  journalists after the long hours of waiting  for the suspended SGF said the committee had expected that the SGF now suspended, would have time to appear before the committee to make submissions .
He said the SGF before his suspension, had claimed that he was engaged with responsibilities in the Presidential Villa, adding that the committee invited him because they thought that now he had been suspended, he will have time to brief the Committee.
He said the aim of inviting him was to give him fair hearing and in the interest of Justice, adding that since the SGF has refused to appear before the committee, they will not allow him to frustrate the work and responsibility entrusted by Senate to the committee.
Sani said since the SGF has decided not to honour the committee’s invitation, they will have to option than to submit their report to the Senate.
His words “We thought that now that he is under suspension, he should have enough time to come. We have been waiting for him since morning and he is not available and we will go ahead to present our report to the senate.
“The committee thought that in the interest of fairness and Justice, he should have come to make submissions, but he has deliberately refused to come and it is not the fault of the committee.
“We all know the political implication of indicting a person and that will affect the integrity and reputation of the persons involved, that is why we had invited him because we thought that now he is on suspension he will have time to come and give responses to the committee since he said that he was always engaged in the villa when he was not yet suspended”.
Babachair is alleged to have facilitated awards of contract up to the tune of N220 milion to his company, Rholavision Engineering Limited for cutting of invasive grass in IDPs camps in the Northeast.
The panel extended a second chance to Babachair to clear himself of the allegations levelled against him after he claimed that he was not given fair trial the first time.
All these times,  Babachair blamed bis continued absence at the  Senate committee sittings on  very busy schedules and at other time said he was bereaved and needed time to appear.
It has also been alleged that addresses of 20 of the  companies awarded contracts by Pine are yet to be traced and the  according to the committee, this was part of the issues they wanted to find out from the Suspended SGF at the  meeting.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja