The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led committee investigating allegations of due process violation in the award of contracts under Presidential Initiatives on North East (PINE) has requested the Senate to furnish it with relevant documents on the matter.
Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, Sen. Shehu Sani, confirmed receipt of a letter on the issue in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday.
He said Osinbajo, Chairman of the Committee of Inquiry, in a letter dated April 21, requested for the Senate ad hoc committee’s report on the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
According to him, the vice president stated in the letter that the committee required documents from the senate for appropriate consideration.
“ The Presidential Committee set up to look into allegations of due process violation in award of contracts under Presidential Initiatives on North-East (PINE) has written to us to make available report our findings.
“I confirm that we got the letter and we will provide the documents to the committee,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Senate ad hoc committee has asked Lawal to appear before it on April 27 by 10:00 a.m.
Sani, who also confirmed this, said a letter had been written to Lawal requesting him to attend a rescheduled public hearing on the allegations.
The committee had invited Lawal to appear before it for a second time on March 15.
However, Lawal in a letter dated March 22, requested for a rescheduling of the meeting to a more appropriate time.
The Senate ad hoc committee, in an interim report, indicted Lawal in the award of contracts under the PINE.
The call for Lawal’s resignation followed alleged contravention of the provisions of Public Procurement Act and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations pertaining to award of contracts by him.
While presenting the report to the Senate, Sani said that the committee discovered that some of the contracts were awarded to companies belonging to top government officials’ cronies and family members.
He explained that the committee found out that Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company in which Lawal was allegedly a director, was awarded consultancy contract.
The company’s major role, according to him, is the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe on March 8. (NAN)
