Fresh Facts: SGF, Babachir Lawal Awarded N220m Grass Removal Job To His Firm – Senate Report

Lawal

Fresh facts emerged, last night, on how the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, allegedly awarded spurious contract of N220 million for the removal of wild grass and the provision of 115 hectares of simplified village irrigation in Yobe State and how the company allegedly subsequently transferred the money into another firm,
Rholavision Engineering Limited, said to be owned by the SGF.

The said amount was allegedly paid between March and September  to the company’s account in EcoBank along the Ahmadu Bello Way, Kaduna, with account numbers 0182001809 and 1180010559651.

Rholavision Engineering Limited has its head office on No. 36, Gobarau Road, Kaduna, with registration number at 26, Ahmed Dantanko Road, Kaduna.

M/S Josmon Technologies Limited was awarded the contract on 8th March, 2016 under the Presidential Initiative for the North East, PINE, which handles the procurement of relief materials (food and non- food items), medical equipment and project vehicles for IDPS in the North-East.

But it is curious how the award of contract for the removal of wild grass along the river channel, which does not fall into the IDPs immediate needs, came into the job schedule of PINE.

In an interview on Channels Television, published in Sunday Vanguard in October, the SGF defended himself against allegations of wrong-doing regarding PINE.

Lawal had said, in response to a question on N1.3billion meant for IDPs and the Senate investigation: “Who is investigating?  The Senate? These are also part of the issues of separation of powers that people abuse. I do know that I don’t have immunity to accuse you without proof but the members of the National Assembly can say anything on the floor and are immune to prosecution but people are abusing it and in this case people are maliciously abusing and wickedly abused their privileges in the National Assembly.

“PINE, Presidential Initiative on the North East, was set up by President Jonathan – thank God for him.  It used to be run under the finance ministry, under the minister of state.  When I took over, we were wondering who was running the North East programme until one day, the National Assembly members from the North East paid me a courtesy call thinking that it was being run by my office.  I told them it wasn’t my office so I telephoned the Vice President and asked ‘Oga, who is running PINE’, he said ‘I think it is your office’.

“When it got to budget period, I asked the minister of budget the same question about PINE, no he said it is your office or the NSA’s office.

“What I discovered was that there was a consultant, Senior Special Assistant to the former NSA who was in charge of PINE.

“The man who was claiming to be leading the PINE was an adviser to the former NSA and such a person’s tenure lapses with the other principal officer.

“So I said you can no longer run PINE. At that time in 2015, there was N2.5 billion for the programme.  The money was just thee doing nothing but paying consultants. I understand that at one time they were using it to buy pre-fabricated schools.  The principle of PINE is this and there is a Permanent Secretary who runs PINE.  There are 23 of such agencies in this office.  We now said for people to return to their

homes, we must guarantee that they are able to engage in productive work before they were pushed out, which means rebuild the schools that were burnt, rebuild the police stations and barracks so people can returns part of confidence-building.  That’s just it.”

But, according to the investigation carried out by the Senate, the upper chamber is insisting that some things went amiss.

According to the job status, as alleged,  it was 100 percent completed,  amount approved for the contract was N272,524,356.02; with N248,939,231.00 paid so far, leaving a balance sum of N23,585,125.02 for contingencies.

The allegations of wrong-doing in the document, obtained by Vanguard, reveal the following: that on March 29, 2016, Josmon Technologies Limited paid N10,000,000.00 five times which amounted to N50 million to Rholavision  Technologies Limited, with different Reference numbers of 9998222200559927, 998222200559962; 9982222005599633; 99822225600201; 9982222600261, respectively.

The same company on March 30, 2016, paid N10 million five times into Rholavision  Technologies Limited amounting to N50 million, with reference numbers 998222005825763; 9952222005625822; 9982222995625824; 998222200565826; and 9982222562881.

On March 31, 2016, Josmon Technologies Limited also made transactions twice to the Rholavision Technologies Limited at N10 million, amounting to N20 million, with reference numbers, 9982222005677584 and 998222205677592.

The same company on April 1, 2016, paid N10 million to Rholavision Technologies Limited five times, amounting to N50 million, with Reference numbers 9982222005731505; 9952222005731547;

9952222005731593; 9982222005731594;and  9982222005732011 respectively. On April 4, 2016, Josmon Technologies Limited also made transactions thrice to the Rholavision Technologies Limited at N10 million twice and N5 million, amounting to N25 million, with reference numbers 9982222005321833; 998222200821837 and 9982222005821847 respectively. On August 22, N20 million was paid under the name, JMT Global Technologies to Rholavision  Technologies Limited, with reference number 99822220011865741 and on September 8, 2016, Josmon Technologies

Limited paid N10 million to the same company, with reference number 999222201339451, while on September 9, 2016, payments were made twice, with the first at N10 while the second one same day was N35 million. Outside the N220 million paid by Josmon, there was another debit transaction of N53 million.

It will be recalled that Babachir Lawal in response to the Senate on calls for resignation and subsequent prosecution  over the alleged contract scam, had said that “By the way, it is very instructive that when the committee was sitting, no effort was ever made to invite me to come and make a submission”.

But Sunday Vanguard gathered that contrary to this claim,  he was actually invited and he responded to the Senator Shehu Sani led Senate Ad-Hoc  Committee on  Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East in a letter written on his behalf from the office of the SGF by the Permanent Secretary, SSO, Aminu Nabegu. In the letter dated December 6, addressed to the Senate Ad- hoc Committee on  Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, with reference number PINE/POL/04811 and titled, “Re: Invitation to a Public Hearing”, read, “I am directed to refer your letter dated 28th

November, 2016 on the above subject matter and to forward the attached herewith information on the procurement processes in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007 as requested.