The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open leadership, CACOL has descibed the suspension of Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF and that of the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke as a welcomed development and a move in the right direction.
Joining other Nigerians in welcoming the suspensions, Mr. Debo Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of CACOL said “It is a step in the right direction. The suspension of the SGF is without doubt belated but we congratulate the Presidency for the bold step it has taken. For us, it ought to have been done right from when the news broke out over allegations of sharp practices in the award of contracts in the Presidential Initiative for the North East.”
“Babachir, who oversees the Initiative, was accused of owning one of the firms that contracts for the rehabilitation of the North East were awarded to. He was alleged to have resigned as a director with the firm after he became SGF and after the contracts had been executed.”
As for the Director-General of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, Adeniran said “it is the best thing the government could do to save face and to prove that it is not treating corruption with deodorant rather than using insecticide. And that is the way to go.”
Reiterating the stance of CACOL on Babachir should, he said “the SGF resign now that the Presidency has taken the bold step of suspending him. In the past, we had called for the resignation of Babachir for the sake of Mr. President himself and his acclaimed anti-corruption stance on hand and on the other improve on the credibility of the whole anti-corruption drive of his government.”
“Our position is that the duo of NIA Director and SGF should go and clear their names. The EFCC and the other relevant agencies should also carry out throughout investigations on the allegations and if grounds are established necessitating prosecution, the SGF and the NIA Director must be prosecuted.” Adeniran concluded
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