Senator Shehu Sani, on Monday questioned the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari, to implement the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo-led committee’s report, on alleged corruption in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the North East.
The panel investigated allegations of violations of law and due process made against Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North-East (PINE).
A Senate Committee on Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, which had earlier found the suspended SGF culpable of alleged complicity in a N200million grass-cutting contract to clear “invasive plant species” in Yobe State, had demanded his resignation and prosecution.
Sani, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on humanitarian crisis in the North East, also warned that any further delay to make the report available to Nigerians, would tarnish the long built integrity, reputation and credibility of President Buhari himself.
“I am as worried as any meaningful Nigerian. I personally investigated the handling of the funds in the North East part of the country. Presidency also set up a committee headed by Vice President Osinbajo who has also completed its investigation and submitted its report. But it’s been months now that Mr. President came back to the country and nothing has been heard of it.
“That is why I said, I hope the report has not been eaten by rodents and soft copy infected by virus. But if there is nothing of such, I believe Mr. President must seriously take action against this. And if he doesn’t, then the proverbial insecticide and deodorant will simply be applied.
“If we are serious about fighting corruption, it should be total not only people that are far from us or people who are not in our party. Our President should know that his credibility and integrity are hanging until this issue is addressed and he has to address it very well.
“There should be no hidden place, there should be no immunity as much as we have the will, the capacity to put the people from opposition parties to jail, we should also do that to people who come from APC if they are guilty. That will show we are serious about what we are doing except if we have double face anti-corruption crusade which is not good for this country.
“The whole Nigeria is waiting for him to act. He should not allow his love, his passion and soft-heartedness for people whom he hold closely deny him his good name. He should move because is either their names or his and I believe he should safe his name first.
“So, I’m appealing to Mr. President to expedite action on the report before him on how people misused and abused their position in office and enrich themselves. This report must be made public and President must take action on it not tomorrow but today,” he told journalists shortly after he handed over documents of a newly purchased skill acquisition centre to leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at Sabon-Tasha, Kaduna.
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