Babachir Lawal, sacked secretary
to the government of the federation (SGF), says he’s happy with his ongoing
probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In October 2017, Lawal was
relieved of his position amid allegations of corruption.
A senate ad-hoc committee had in
December 2016 indicted him of fraud in a contract awarded for the clearing of
invasive plant species in Yobe state, through the Presidential Initiative on
Northeast (PINE).
According to the ad-hoc committee,
Lawal allegedly spent N570m on the project.
PINE, which was headed by Lawal,
was at the time unable to account for N2.5 billion allocated to alleviate the
plight of IDPs.
Amid speculations that the former
SGF might have escaped justice, Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC,
recently said Lawal is still under investigation.
Speaking during a Channels TV
interview, Lawal said he had “always wanted” the EFCC to get involved in the
allegations against him.
Asked about the investigation, he
said: “I like it (the probe). In fact, I had always wanted the EFCC to be
involved because the EFCC has the capacity both in terms of equipment and
personnel to get to the truth.”
Lawal said although he is being
investigated for alleged corruption, it would not affect his relationship with
President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former SGF is believed to be
a close ally of Buhari.
“If the president were to be my
brother, does it mean we cease to be brothers because I am being investigated
by the EFCC?” he asked. “A relationship breaks because of a false accusation
against an innocent man.”
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