More woes may have befallen the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal as he is expected to appear before the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee that investigated the N200 million Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE) contracts.
It will be recalled that Mr. Lawal was suspended penultimate Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari, who constituted a three-man panel under the chairmanship of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to investigate the SGF’s involvement in the scam that rocked the PINE contract awards.
He is being invited for questioning over his alleged role in the mismanagement of funds earmarked for the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the Northeast.
According to the committee’s schedule, Lawal is expected to appear before at 10 am.
The Senate had indicted Lawal in an interim report submitted by the Senator Shehu Sani-led committee. He was indicted for breaching relevant provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
He allegedly violated the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations on the award of contracts under PINE.
After spurning the panel’s invitation twice, Lawal was invited again in fulfillment of the principle of fair hearing, which he said was originally not extended to him.
The invitation letter signed by the Ad Hoc Committee clerk, Mr. Barau Bungudu, asked the suspended SGF to appear for fresh hearing.
The letter reads: “You may recall that the Ad-hoc Committee had invited you to appear before it for the second time on Wednesday, 15th March 2017.
“The Committee has granted your request conveyed in your letter dated 22nd March 2017 and re-scheduled the meeting. By this letter, I am directed to formally invite you to appear before the Committee on Thursday, 27th April 2017.”