By House Cleaning: After Sacking Of Babachir Lawal And Spy Chief, Ayo Oke, What Next?
In the last 15hours, the Nigerian internet sphere has been filled with the discussions of the sacking of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr Babachir David Lawal and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Professor Ayo Oke, a development which is coming weeks after a substantial investigative report was submitted by Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Despite the terminations of their appointments, many Nigerians are not satisfied with the President’s decision which have been described as coming late, going by reactions on the social media.
A social commentator disclosed that the sacking may all that will be done as Lawal was still using official convoy when he was on suspension, and still presently seen as a powerful member of the ‘cabal’, President Buhari’s kitchen cabinet.
After sacking, what next?
Until the disengagement of Lawal and Oke, no anti-graft agency has investigated them, so it is safe to say that their sack was recommended by the Osinbajo-led panel which investigated the duo’s involvement in allegations levelled against them.
It will be recalled that the Spy Chief, Oke was indicted when a supposed ‘safe house’ of the Intelligence Agency was discovered with raw cash running into Billions of Naira. The drama that ensued after the discovery was made generated many heated arguments as different individuals, including a State Government were linked to the money before the agency eventually came forward to make claim of owning it. The report surrounding the discovery of the cash has disclosed that there was more to it than Nigerians presently know.
For Lawal, his troubles started when the famous ‘Grass Cutting’ scandal was opened while the Senate was investigating the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE). A company was discovered to have received N200m for a project that was never carried out, during the findings, it was discovered that the then sitting SGF was a Director of the company. Lawal didn’t only err when his company received the funds for a project, he also erred for sitting atop a privately owned company as a serving civil servant/government appointee.
Will they be visiting the EFCC/ICPC soon?
