In defence of Babachir Lawal

It is heartwarming to acknowledge the cautious speed with which the president,  Muhammadu Buhari is embarking on the task of ruling Nigeria wherein he has brought to bear his years of experience as an astute administrator and matured disposition to issues. This is a far cry from the usually shoddy approach of inexperienced and less […]

It is heartwarming to acknowledge the cautious speed with which the president,  Muhammadu Buhari is embarking on the task of ruling Nigeria wherein he has brought to bear his years of experience as an astute administrator and matured disposition to issues.

This is a far cry from the usually shoddy approach of inexperienced and less endowed administrators across the nation, who in the bid to give the impression that they are in hurry to make  marks end up raking muck, making countless blunders and costly goofs that are usually too far gone and too  costly to repair.

In the matter involving the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babachir Lawal and the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, most of the early commentators have already concluded even with admitted lack of fair hearing that the man was guilty as charged.

We, however, now have the benefit of President’s Buhari’s caution and unique leadership style to thank for not trying to play to the gallery which would have made him to take an action that would have, with the recent revelation coming out, been an unfair judgment on a hardworking official who was only caught up in the intricate web of high wired politics.

Initially when the Senate committee on mounting humanitarian crisis in the North-East made its report public and demanded for the resignation of the SGF, it gave the impression that Lawal used his position as a government official to influence a company he was said to have an interest secure the contract.

But recent circumstances emerging indicated that this is a fallacy that even some key members of the Senate committee are beginning to realize.

The first point that must be emphasized here is that the SGF had proven and this has not been disputed by the Senate committee, that he resigned his position as director of Rholavision since his appointment as SGF in order not to be in breach of constitutional provisions required to serve in that office.

Section 172 of the Constitution requires a public servant to observe and conform to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers stated in the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 which stipulates that “a public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interests conflict with his duties and responsibilities.”

Having resigned from the firm, Lawal had no way of stopping it from bidding for any contract which it feels it is qualified to execute.

Rholavision been in business for over three decades and it is natural for it to offer its service where it feels its relevance and professional competence is required and there is no evidence of a compelling order from either the SGF’s office or anywhere for the firm to be given the job.

The firm, like all others, submitted its bid and relied on its record to speak for it. How that constitutes an offence under the laws of Nigeria is what beats one’s imagination.

But the more disturbing twist in the story is the mammy wagon approach carefully adopted to implicate the SGF.

 

This is by harping on the N223million contract sums for the contract for the removal of invasive plant species from Komadugu Yobe Water Channels and cleverly subsuming the actual award that directly involved the firm which the SGF was a director. 

 

By doing that the fact that the amount for the consultancy job by Rholavision was N7million has been dangerously underplayed so that the magnitude of the allegation can be amplified.

But the fact remains that Rholavision got paid for N7million for consultancy which many would concede is insignificant to sway the SGF to breach a basic requirement of the statutes guiding the conduct of public officials.

It should be spelt out here that the impression given that the N233million which represents the sum for the execution of the contract as the one involving the SGF is not a mistake but deliberately ploy to attract public attention in order to justify the angst some people have with the Buhari administration and which must start with a high official of the government.

There was also the controversy over whether the SGF was given the chance to defend himself or at least state his own side of the story when the matter initially blew open with the Senate committee relying on an invitation it said it extended to the SGF insisting that has been done.

But alas! The recent indication given by the Senate that it is prepared to invite the SGF and give him the chance to state his own side of the story speaks volumes about the haste in drawing its initial conclusion.

Apart from corroborating the fact that the basic principle of natural justice was not adhered to in the first place, it goes to show that the intent of the entire episode which centered on one man is nebulous.

One would have thought that with the much put in place to build up integrity and credible reputation by people in key offices of government, the Senate would have chosen to err on the side of caution by exploring all angles before concluding on its findings.

The fact remain that in matters where the integrity of a man is called to question and in that magnitude, the process of correcting the impression on the minds of the general public should be more thorough and not the wishy-washy thing in place.

It is not coincidence that before the report of the committee was made public, the efforts of the federal government towards catering for internally displaced persons have been commended.

The thoroughness and tact given by the Buhari administration to see to the welfare and upkeep of IDPs should not be frittered away on the platform of political vendetta as the sensitivity of the issue in question having direct impact on the lives of people in need of support is too delicate to be left in the lurches of such shenanigans.

 

 

 

 

Shitu wrote this piece from Abuja