N200m Fraud: No None-sense Buhari Orders Immediate Probe Of own SGF, Kyari, Amaechi, Others

Punch Newspaper - Following the allegation of corruption levelled against Mr. Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to probe all top government officials accused of corruption.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this in a two-paragraph statement.

Shehu said any of the government official found guilty of the allegations levelled against them would not escape prosecution.

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 The statement read, “The attention of the Presidency has been drawn to a number of reports in the media, in which various accusations of corruption have been levelled against some top officials in the administration.

“In that regard, President Buhari has instructed the Attorney General of the Federation to investigate the involvement of any top government official accused of any wrongdoing. If any of them are liable, they will not escape prosecution.”

Although Shehu did not mention names, top government officials who have been accused of corruption so far, included the SGF, the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; and the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.

Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and Ogbonnya Onu, another Minister were also accussed of judicial bribery allegations, News Punch understands

Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has called on President Buhari to fulfill his vow not to protect sacred cows in his government by immediately sacking the SGF.

The call came on the heels of an allegation by the Senate that the SGF awarded contracts to a conpany, Rholavision Engineering Limited, allegedly belong to him in the Internally Displaced Persons camps.

Also, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, and the Executive Chairman, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, have called on the Presidency to refer Lawal to the EFCC or the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission for probe.

Falana, in an interview with one our correspondents on Sunday, said not just Lawal, but all other corrupt members of the President’s cabinet must be “flushed out,” or else the government would lose the moral right to continue to fight corruption.

He said, “So, the President has to decide because he has said that there shall be no sacred cows.

“If those involved in corruption are allowed to remain in government and treated like sacred cows, the government will lose the entire moral right to fight corruption.

“All the corrupt members of the cabinet have to be shown the way out, they have to be flushed out.”

The Senate had at a plenary on Wednesday called for the removal and prosecution of the SGF following alleged complicity in contract award in the IDP camps in the North-East.

Lawal, who denied all the allegations, described them as balderdash even as he said they were aimed at pulling him down.

But Falana said Lawal’s defence was not a denial, stressing that it was a confirmation of the allegations levelled against him.

He said the allegations levelled against Lawal were on the same scale as crimes against humanity, stressing that the President must not allow Babachir to remain in office.

Falana said, “The President should relieve him of his position. The SGF has to be relieved of his post.

“He was appointed last year May or whenever, now you are telling us that you resigned from the company in August, during which time contracts were going to that company.

 “His defence is not a denial of the allegation. In fact, it is a confirmation. Under the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, the first rule is that there shall be no conflict of interest.”

Also, Ogunye, and the Executive Chairman, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said if the anti-corruption agency established a prima facie case against Lawal, he should immediately be relieved of his post and subsequently prosecuted.

Ogunye said, “The Senate has made a report. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation has defended himself in the media. Both the allegations and the defence should be collated by the President and forwarded to the anti-corruption agencies and the President should tell the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to go and appear before the anti-corruption agency and clear himself.

“As to whether he should step down or not, an allegation has been made and he has defended himself. I do not know the truth of the situation but I believe that either of these two anti-corruption agencies would be in the best position to look into that matter, investigate and charge him to court appropriately if an offence has been committed.”

Also, a Second Republic lawmaker, Mohammed Junaid, said he was not surprised about the allegation of scam trailing Babachir, recalling that he had warned the President against appointing him as the SGF in the first place.

He said, “Now that he (Babachir) is enmeshed in a scandal, which has also become public knowledge, the person who should give explanation to Nigerians is Buhari himself. And if Babachir is corrupt, then it is Buhari that is corrupt, because he couldn’t have done what he did without the foreknowledge of General Buhari.”

SECRET Documents EXPOSED How Firm Linked Buhari's SGF, Babachir Received N200m Contract Kickback

ThisDay - Details have emerged on how suspicious payments were made by Josmon Technologies, a firm that was awarded contract by the Presidential Intiative on North East (PINE), into the bank account of Rholavision, a company linked to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal.

The Senate had last week asked Lawal to resign immediately to face prosecution for alleged abuse of office, contract inflation and misappropriation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) funds following the consideration of the interim report of the Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the Northeast. Lawal had however faulted the call for his resignation by the Senate describing it as an attempt to rubbish him.

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Documents obtained by THISDAY at the weekend from National Assembly sources who are currently investigating the SGF showed that the Presidential Initiative on North East awarded a contract for the removal of invasive plant species along river channels and 115 hectares of simplified irrigation operation in Yobe State to Josmon Technologies at the cost of N272,524,356.02 million on March 8, 2016.

However, after Josmon Technologies was paid, it began to make payments into Rholavision’s account number 0182001809 in Eco Bank.

Payment of the money into Rholavision account started on March 29, 2016, when Josmon Technologies paid N50 million into the account in five instalments of N10 million.

The payment continued the following day, March 30, when it paid another N50 million in five instalments of N10 million each. On March 31, it paid N20 million in two instalments of N10 million each.

Josmon Technologies returned to the bank on April 1, 2016, when it paid another N50 million in five instalments of N10 million. The payment continued on April 4, when it paid N25 million in three instalments of N10 million each twice and another N5 million.

On September 8, 2016, it paid N10 million and on September 9, it paid another N10 million and later on the same day, it paid in N55 million.

THISDAY also sighted a letter dated September 9, 2016, written by Lawal and addressed to Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) where Lawal stated that “having resigned my appointment as Director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd, I hereby relinquish my shares totalling 1,500,000 ordinary shares to the company.”

However, the letter of resignation to confirm whether the SGF actually resigned in August 2015 as he claimed as against Senate’s claim that he resigned in September 2016 was nowhere to be found.

Another document seen by THISDAY showed a resolution of Rholavision on October 5, 2016, where a Director of Rholavision, Jonathan Dodo, was removed and replaced by Hamidu David Lawal. Another director, Patience Mudala Ephraim, was appointed same day.

Efforts to get the reaction of the SGF were unsuccessful last night.

Meanwhile, following Senate’s rejection of the request for confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), some close aides of President Muhammadu Buhari are now pushing for the return of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as EFCC boss, THISDAY has learnt.

These officials and associates of the President are said to hold the belief that it was high time the EFCC was returned to the era when it possessed sound intellectual, investigative and prosecutorial capacity to fight corruption and establish connections with similar agencies across the world.

These suggestions were coming against the backdrop of insinuations that the agency had derailed from its roadmap since the exit of Ribadu.

Advocates of the idea are also suggesting the need to court the National Assembly by persuading it to revisit the Act setting up the commission and adopt some of the initial proposals by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo while conceiving the EFCC.

Such proposals included the appointment of a chairman who must not be less than the rank of an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG). The criteria was however said to have been lowered when the Act was passed to accommodate Ribadu, who was then an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). Ribadu served a the commission’s pioneer chairman and retired as AIG.

An informed source in the National Assembly also told THISDAY that there were moves to evolve proposals for amendment of some provisions of the EFCC Act to pave the way for the emergence of a chairman outside the Nigeria Police Force or security agencies with a view to making any Nigerian of impeccable character and integrity eligible.

The EFCC Act provides that the commission’s chairman shall be a serving or retired member of any government security or law enforcement agency not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or equivalent , and with not less than 15 years cognate experience.

It was learnt that some top Presidency officials are also urging the President to look beyond the Nigeria Police and security agencies in his search for a chairman with impeccable character and incorruptible tendencies.

Their proposals are hinged on the fact that EFCC as currently constituted operates mainly with the mindset of the Nigeria Police, carrying out mere mechanical operations with brute force without recourse to forensic and intellectual engagements.

In pushing their idea, they were said to have suggested that the President could pick a new EFCC chairman from places such as the intelligence community, legal profession, military or other bodies, provided the person being considered has unblemished record and is resolute in his or her commitment to fight corruption without fear or favour.

“We need a seasoned head who can take that agency to the level of Anti-money Trafficking Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and its equivalent in the United Kingdom. The agency needs international connections and it must operate at a higher pedestal… It doesn’t have to be a policeman all the time,” a presidency source said.

Okanga Agila: Northern Political Christians As Odious Favour Seekers

Suddenly, an assemblage of old and haggard politicians, by the nomenclature of Northern Nigeria Christian Politicians Forum (NNCPF) has invaded Nigeria’s polity and from the wrong angle. Supposedly comprising veteran politicians, the forum has not only proven its potency in unbeatable loquaciousness, but its damaging flippancy is pregnable with trappings of disrupting the coherence currently enjoyed in the North and even the Southern part of the country.

In the last three weeks they have assailed Nigeria’s President Muhammedu Buhari (PMB) with demands for more appointments into his cabinet. In so doing, the forum also assaulted the sensibilities of other segments of Nigeria in their apparent greed and selfish push for recognition.

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Expectedly, the forum lampooned former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) and Goodluck Jonathan, (both of them Christians), for failing political Christians of the North, by depriving them of appointments, while they wielded power in Aso Rock. And seemingly standing logic on its head, the group argued that it was reason for refusal of Northern Christian politicians to back Jonathan’s re-election bid in 2015, in preference for the Northern Muslim, PMB.

And pouring accolades that do not impress the person of PMB, the forum claimed that for the first time in Nigeria’s history, the President has broken the jinx, by recognizing Northern Christian politicians with massive appointments. Yet, they were asking for more patronage in appointments?

And then, Nigerians watched with dismay the forum’s toeing of the familiar tendencies of hungry and greedy politicians, with eclipsing shadows, whose actions, denote nothing more than craving for personal recognition. So, they hurriedly packaged and doled out meaningless awards to government functionaries at a special reception in Abuja. The recipients were President Buhari, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and SGF, Babachir David Lawal. It should not surprise anybody to see more of such awards doled out by the group to a litany of personalities in the nearest future.

Disappointingly though, a scrutiny of this obviously odious assemblage of the so-called Christian politicians from the North, reveal curious angles. Unexpected and venerable names such as that of the former Head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), Sen. Dr. Jonathan Zwingina and the likes, are being bandied as members. It is difficult to believe Gen. Yakuku Gowon would gamble away his personality and reputation to identify with an aimless group of favour seekers whose plan is ultimately to instigate heat on the Buhari Presidency and cause disaffection in the polity.

Every day, there comes a fresh tale in the experiences of Nigeria to invoke empathy and lamentations for the fate of this otherwise great country. Christianity in Nigeria is heavily afflicted and time is ripe for good intentioned people to beseech God Almighty to rescue the Body of Christ in Nigeria.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, is so helplessly polarized based on leadership crises. From its national body/secretariat, to regions and states, CAN is politicized and it boasts of more factions than some political parties can flaunt. And the split is mainly pushed by the scramble for leadership, as against evangelism.

Today, the Northern part of Nigeria has its own version of CAN, rechristened, Northern Nigeria Christian Association (NNCA), reminiscent of pre-independence Nigeria, as fallout of the last CAN national elections. These are the multiple problems plaguing Christianity in Northern Nigeria. And a committed Christendom would be exploring ways to resolve these issues, as against creating more splinter groups in the guise of religion, such as the NNCPF.

To start, NNCPF has marketed itself as “bad sons of a good father.” They failed brazenly to read and decode the contour of PMB’s government and they have failed to appreciate Nigeria’s economic realities of today, weighing heavily on running of government. And they are blind to the reality of the diversity and sensibilities of the Nigerian state.

The faintest of knowledge about these realities would have informed them that they knocked, where the door cannot be opened. Any politician in Nigeria knows the desire of PMB to keep a modest structure of governance, with a modest cabinet so as to save funds to channel into developing other sectors of the economy.

Northern political Christians are not complaining of neglect in appointments; but they are unrealistically pushing PMB to further enlarge his cabinet on account of pleasing them because Northern Christians have never had it so good. A positive response to this plea implies a drain on lean finances of Nigeria and the depravity of patronage to other needy areas.

Nonetheless, what is in appointment, if the forum’s target is not to decorate themselves with underserved national jobs? Some of their members belong to the category of faded politicians, who have no clout or relevance of any kind even in their communities of birth. At best, they are living portraits of Nigeria’s wasted past, but have suddenly found solace in a body with religious shield to press for their resurrection from political graves.

Any populist agenda of the forum would have seen them requesting from PMB, development projects for the Christian communities of the North, which they alleged, have been maltreated by the Muslim majority in the region. It would have posted a more plausible consideration.

In addition, they underrated the feelings of Southern Christians with such reckless outbursts and outrageous demands for more appointments for regional Christians of the North. If truly they are Christians and know what it means, the House of God does not discriminate. How would Southern Christians feel to know the President backs the notion that northern Christians deserve more national appointments? A feeling of neglect because of their region of birth? It is inexplicable.

This agenda has not only fired voices of protests from the South, but it is portraying the administration of Buhari as a regionalist, a tag the President has vigorously campaigned against by his famous declaration that “ I belong to nobody, but I belong to everybody.” It is a campaign missile these political desperadoes have planted on PMB’s path.

Similarly, would the Northern Muslims or their southern counterparts now feel alienated and angry with Buhari’s excessive courting of northern political Christians, at the expense of other patently ravenous blocs, thus raising a platform for them to crucify the President?. It was the most senseless assertion, to have emanated from people who are supposedly leaders.

NNCPF’s chairman, Hon. Keftin Amuga and his clique’s mistaken assumption of achieving this evil machination by deriding former President’s OBJ and Jonathan is not only uncharitable, but hypocritical, suggesting the emptiness of the group.

Amuga's submissions that for the first time, a Northern Muslim President has recognized the Northern Christian as “a political factor and political force", is sycophantic praise singing, directed at the wrong leader, PMB. Even if they tell the truth, it would not reduce their esteem before the President. But such generous assertions, without statistics or verifiable data, is the forum’s pandering to sycophant instincts, in the vain hope of placating Buhari and at the same time, bashing his constituency. 

NNCPF should have a rethink. Indeed, pounding the sermons of divisions in the North is inappropriate at this time; to say the least, unexpected and unfortunate, much more, spicing it with religious (Muslim) bigotry. It explains the hidden motive of this group, which is to cause disaffection among Northerners and elsewhere; to make themselves popular, as the unconscionable lackeys at the disposal of desperate politicians anytime, to unleash attacks on perceived enemies and PMB himself could become their victim’.

But let this brand of Christian politicians from the North be reminded that PMB emerged President of Nigeria in 2015 based on popular votes and the conviction of Nigerians regardless of religion, ethnicity, regional or political party affiliation. Millions believed in his capacity to salvage Nigeria and nothing more. This is exactly what he is doing.

Jonathan failed the re-election bid because he was overwhelmed with Nigeria’s leadership and his poor leadership of the country could not be excused by millions of Nigerians. So, the argument insinuating otherwise is fetish and condemnable, after all, NNCPF flaunts membership drawn from different party affiliations. They should therefore desist from playing the religious card with serious and sensitive national issues in the quest of seeking recognition and odious favours.

Okanga contributed this piece from Agila, Benue State.

Aso Rock 'Co-Presidents' Pressure Buhari To Sack SGF, Babachir Over Alliance With Tinubu

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal may have incurred the wrath of the cabals in the Aso Rock Presidential over loyalty and alliance with the embattled national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been placed on a ‘political’ watchlist by some senior associates of President Muhammadu Buhari, report according to 247Ureport suggests

The development is reportedly linked to the SGF’s perceived support for Tinubu who has been fingered by some of the President’s associates as one of the frontline sponsors of the sustained campaign of divisive and inflammatory media attacks on Buhari; presidential aides particularly Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari and the president’s nephew, Alhaji Mamman Daura; cabinet members and members of APC National Leadership reportedly loyal to the President.

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Kyari and Mamman Daura are so powerful at the presidency that some referred to them as co-President of Nigeria.

On Monday, October 11, 2016, the SGF, who initiated a meeting held in the conference room of the Office of the SGF in Abuja with APC stakeholders in Delta state, reportedly dismissed the national leadership of the party as tactless in resolving disputes in the Party.

The ‘APC Stakeholders’ meeting was reportedly convened by the SGF, Mr. Babachir David Lawal, without the consent and knowledge of the presidency and the APC national leadership.

The SGF’s outburst comes after his reported failed spirited bid to pressure the APC National Leadership to cancel the September 3, 2016 APC primaries that produced Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the Party’s Ondo State governorship candidate.

The SGF was before his appointment, the National Vice-Chairman, North-East.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that in a meeting held on Tuesday, the APC National Leadership was briefed on alleged anti-party activities by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The former Lagos state governor reportedly asked some APC members in Ondo state to move to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) after the alleged injustice meted to him.

Tinubu is believed to be supporting Chief Olusola Oke, a former governorship aspirant in Ondo APC, who recently defected to the AD with his supporters.

Tinubu’s frustration is informed by his candidate in the Ondo governorship primary. Dr. Olusegun Abraham losing out to Akeredolu.

“The President has been briefed on the activities or can I say alliance between the SGF Babachir David Lawal and Tinubu. We (presidency) are still studying the situation. This is politics, you don’t expect me to relay to you actions we will take. But I can tell you that the SGF has already noticed the body language of the president and has noticeably avoided meeting the president face to face.” A senior presidential aide who requested not to be mentioned because of the sensitivity of the matter disclosed to 247Ureports

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EXCLUSIVE: Angry Buhari Shops For New SGF, Chief Of Staff; You'll Be Shocked At Their Offences

Frontier News - Strong indications have emerged that President Muhammadu Buhari is under intense pressure to sack his Chief of Staff, Mr. Abba Kyari and the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr. Babachir Lawal, over what they described as gross incompetence and lack of administrative efficiency.

Our correspondent gathered that top All Progressive Congress (APC) top leaders, as well as close associates of President Buhari are putting pressure on him to relieve the two principal officers of their job so that the APC led-government can find its footing in the present economic and political crisis.

Our correspondent gathered that party leaders have accused Kyari of been a stumbling block to the effective and smooth running of government especially in preventing memos from ministers and heads of agencies from reaching the president at the desired time.

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“Its unfortunate that the Chief of Staff to the president keeps files from ministries in his office for months without allowing the president see them. We can not understand why he does it. Files that shouldn’t have taken more than 24 hours to reach the president sometimes spend three months without getting the president’s attention. This is one key reason while the government business is not moving accordingly. This has greatly helped in slowing down the activities of government and this is definitely not good for the government,” a top party leader told Frontiersnews.

Investigations revealed that President Buhari is having challenges over Kyari and Lawal’s issues as he confessed to friends and political leaders that he was finding it difficult to change Kyari because he had not seen a more competent hand to takeover the office.

“The issue of the chief of staff is a personal one. He is a personal staff and I have to be careful who I appoint as Chief of Staff. I wouldn’t want to hand over that office to just anybody but somebody that I know and who is competent,” the President was said to have confessed to close associates and key party leaders.

Our correspondent’s investigations revealed that despite hoarding files and preventing ministers and heads of agencies from seeing the president, Mr. Kyari is also in the habit of usurping the responsibilities of the SGF, head of the civil service of the federation (HCSOF), ministers and heads of agencies.

He has been accused of single handedly appointing boards of agencies and other key political appointments in the country.

“Ministers are very unhappy because Kyari is the one doing their jobs. He appoints boards and key appointments in agencies and parastatals without consulting the concerned ministers. The unfortunate thing about the whole thing is that they do not have the spin to challenge him or report the matter to the president. This is very worrisome and unhealthy for the government,” the party source said.

The source, who spoke to our correspondent, on the condition of anonymity said “even the SGF and the HCSOF cannot challenge Kyari. He is infact acting as if he is the president and nobody is calling him to order. He can do anything and act the way he wants without consulting anybody and nothing will happen.”

In the case of the SGF, our correspondent gathered that party leaders are also complaining that he doesn’t have the requisite experience to handle the critical challenges that the office require, especially at this time in the life of the nation.

“The government needs a vibrant, articulate and a more experienced SGF at this time. Lawal cannot handle the challenges of the moment. This is a critical time in the life of the nation and somebody who is charismatic, experienced and one with a vast knowledge of the economy should be in charge. Lawal cannot handle what is presently facing the Nigeria,” the source stated.

Why Buhari Won't Probe APC Members - SGF Opens Up

Engr. Babachir David Lawal, secretary to the government of the federation has revealed why members of the the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not be probed by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Speaking during an interview session with VANGUARD, Lawal said, “Let us be very sincere and reasonable. Obviously, to my mind, the preponderance of corrupt people would be in the PDP for one reason; they have been in government for 16 years and they were the only ones enjoying the booty, and they were doing it in a flagrant manner. Tracing my own (political) genealogy for instance, from ANPP to CPC and now APC, we were not getting anything.

“Nobody was giving us contracts. PDP were the ones in government; they were the ones the president was approving money for sharing; they were the ones that took government money to fund their election.

“This is the truth. APC had no access to government money to fund the president’s election. It got to a stage when PDP saw it clearly on the wall; you remember they even shifted the elections; it was so clear they were going to lose, and so they thought they could buy it.

“Throughout the last tenure of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign, their goodwill among Nigerians was on the decline and they were spending, and it got to a stage that they did not care about following the due process anymore because they thought they were in power and they thought they could buy their way through and remain in perpetuity.

“So, they became even careless about the manner they were taking the money. Remember Nigeria even borrowed $100million from the international market to fund the war on Boko Haram and they simply shared it. APC did not go to borrow anywhere. We were not sharing oil wells. We had no access to NNPC funds. So, if these agencies were converted into agencies for looting and pilfering, it is obvious that even if we had corrupt men in the APC, they did not have the opportunity to steal, and that is assuming we had. I cannot, in all honesty, say that all of us in APC are saints, but the truth is, we did not have access to funds to steal in the first place, and so we did not have opportunity also to reject the stealing. So, let them roast in their stew. Let them carry their cross.

“They can make all the noises and try to deflate APC, but our hands are clean by providence. Look, let us face it. If they arrest you, why don’t you say, ‘I shared the money with so and so persons’ and then let him turn out to be in APC?

“Those that they are arresting, it is from the interrogation that the information burst out. Let them leave us alone. This is just the beginning. They will return our money by the time we finish digging their soak-aways and bringing down their (overhead) tanks; we would recover our money."

Vanguard

SHOCKER: N50m Bribe-For-Job, Board Appointments FAUD Takes Over Buhari's SGF Office

The Yoruba would say in a popular proverb; "A n je ekuru ko tan lawo, awon kan tun n gbon e si", literarily mean, as at when efforts are made to end a war, some are beating fresh war drum'. This is purely the case of Mr. President.

As at when this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is leaving no stone unturned at ensuring this country is corruption free, some are bent on ensuring it is bussiness as usual.

A fresh report by Daily Sun on Saturday made a very shocking revelation of some top officials in the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal are collecting as much as N50 million from candi­dates seeking appointments into the Boards of Grade A federal agencies and parastatals.

The Daily Sun in it this laudable investigation confirmed that a lady, Hajia Mohammed (first name withheld), suspected to be a lawyer coordinates the syndicate on behalf of some top officials working in the SGF’s office that pad lists for Board appointments still being compiled by a presiden­tial committee in the same office. Another woman simply identified as ‘Olori’ assists her

Beside the appointment of Heads of about 26 federal para­statals waiting for the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari, there are hundreds of vacant Board membership positions equally waiting to be filled.

The Sun's under­cover investigation reveals that the syndicate has a number of trusted recruiters and canvassers who scout for people with means that want to serve on the Board of some federal agencies. Reception and poolside areas of top hotels in Abuja such as Sheraton Hotel and Nicon Hilton Hotel are usually used as venues for negotiations and collection of cash deposits for the appointments.

While negotiating with leaders of the syndicate for a membership position at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja recently, our undercover reporter was told that appointment into the Board of Grade A agencies like the Nigerian Maritime Ad­ministration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Nigerian Ports Author­ity, NPA and Niger Delta Devel­opment Commission, NDDC, among others will cost a whoop­ing N50million. The syndicate will also not accept a kobo less than N25million for appointment into the Boards of other less lucra­tive agencies.

Further investigations into the modus operandi of the syndicate shows the only qualification re­quired from Board job seekers is the membership card of the ruling party, the All Progressives Con­gress, APC, in addition to ready cash. It was further gathered that between February and now, when the syndicate has been carrying on with its secret recruitment drive, over a billion naira has been gen­erated from their collections from prospective candidates with addi­tional millions of naira outstand­ing payments already made in post dated cheques.

The exact amount so far raked in by the syndicate could not be established because it was difficult to verify how much each of the over 76 names on the list of can­didates that had paid as at the 20th of March when our undercover reporter penetrated the syndicate actually deposited. But from the list sighted briefly at one of the meetings, no fewer than 18 per­sons must have paid for Grade A Board appointments.

At one of the meetings with the two female leaders of the syndi­cate in March, our undercover re­porter who negotiated for a less lu­crative agency’s Board, was asked to pay a cash deposit of N20mil­lion and issue a post dated cheque of N5million which will be cashed when the list of appointment even­tually comes out. When asked about the terms of payment for a Grade A Board job, Hajia Moham­med declared that those who have the option of choosing the agency of their choice would make a cash deposit of N40million and the bal­ance of N10million paid through a post dated cheque when the feder­al government issues appointment letters.

Pleas for a downward review of the costs were rebuffed because there were more people waiting to pay than the number of slots they have to fill. A reliable source in the SGF’s office who confirmed the development to SATURDAY SUN however said, “the practice has been going on since and not some­thing that has just started under the Buhari administration.” The top official said it is practice similar to budget padding discovered by President Muhammadu Buhari during the presentation of the 2016 budget to the National Assembly. “It’s more or less a normal trend in government just like you have budget padding or the ghost work­ers menace on workers payroll”, the source added.

The official further said “be­yond what you have just discov­ered, party leaders also sell the slots for their constituencies to highest bidders, so it is not only a practice within public service, it’s equally deep within the ruling po­litical parties, not just about APC but even more in PDP when they were in power.”

President Buhari had on Thurs­day, July 16, 2015 approved the dissolution of the Governing Boards of Federal Parastatals, Agencies and Institutions with im­mediate effect.

The syndicate went scouting for job seekers with means as soon as a presidential committee in the SGF’s office began compilation of names for Boards appointments. It was gathered that most of the names compiled by the syndicate must have been smuggled into the lists of agencies under the Minis­tries of Education and Agriculture.

Some of them include National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, National Board for Techni­cal Education (NBTE), Kaduna, National Commission for Colleg­es of Education (NCCE), Abuja, Universal Basic Education Com­mission (UBEC), Abuja, National Commission for Nomadic Educa­tion, (NCNE), Abuja and National Commission for Adult Education Mass Literacy and Non Formal Education (NMEC), Abuja.

Others include Nigerian Edu­cational Research Development Council (NERDC), Sheda, FCT, Joint Admissions and Matricu­lation Board (JAMB), Bwari, Abuja, West African Examination Council (WAEC), Lagos, National Examination Council (NECO), Minna, National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), National Institute for Educational Planning & Adminis­tration (NIEPA), Ondo, National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna and Nigerian Mathematical Centre (NMC), Sheda, FCT.

Others are Nigerian French Lan­guage Village (NFLV) Badagry, Lagos, Nigerian Arabic Language Village (NALV) Ngala, Borno, National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN) Aba, Abia, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Abuja, National Li­brary of Nigeria (NLN), Abuja, Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Abuja and Com­puter Professionals Registration Council of (CPN), Lagos.

Those under the Ministry of Ag­riculture and Rural Development include Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Na­tional Fadama III Programme, Commercial Agriculture Devel­opment Programme (CADP), Agricultural Development Proj­ect (ADP), Bank of Agriculture, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Nigerian Ag­ricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), National Institute for Stored Products Research Institute, Cocoa Research Institute of Nige­ria (CRIN), Forestry Research In­stitute of Nigeria (FRIN), Institute of Agricultural Research & Exten­sion Services (IAR) and National Animal Production Research In­stitute (NAPRI), National Institute of Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR), National Veterinary Re­search Institute (NVRI), National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), National Institute for Horticul­tural Research (NIHORT), Rub­ber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN), National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Maiduguri and National Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR).

All efforts to get a detailed offi­cial reaction from the office of the SGF failed as at press time. While the Director of Press in the office, Mr Bolaji Adebiyi was said to be on leave, his deputy, an Assistant Director, Nakorji Moh’d in a brief response to text messages from Saturday Sun said he was not aware of the scam. He refused to give further explanation or com­ments.

Credit: Saturday Sun Newspaper