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Babachir: Nigerians outcry forced president to sack him, says Fayose

By Ayodele Afolabi (Ado-Ekiti) and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City)
31 October 2017   |   4:42 am
The president only acted because of the outcry of Nigerians, especially over the fraudulent reinstatement of the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdurasheed Maina.

David Babachir Lawal

• Oshiomhole lauds appointment of new SGF

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has dismissed the sack of Babachir Lawal and Ayodele Oke, as an afterthought and a face-saving measure. A statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this.

The statement said: “What Nigerians expected from a president who rode to power on the basis of integrity, is a total cleansing of his government. It is not by setting up panel to investigate corruption allegations involving his men and reluctantly sacking a few of them.”

According to Fayose: “The president only acted because of the outcry of Nigerians, especially over the fraudulent reinstatement of the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdullahi Maina.

“Enough of using panels to shield people accused of corruption in Buhari’s government. Rather, they should be arrested, detained and prosecuted by the EFCC, as being done to others perceived as the president’s enemies.”

The governor lauded the people whose resistance forced the president to act, saying: “Once again, Nigerians have proved that the power of the president is not greater than the people who elected him.

“Apart from prosecuting the sacked officials, Nigerians are interested in the report on the $43 million discovered in an apartment at Osbourne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He urge the president to take action on the allegation by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, over $25 billion contract awarded by the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru.

The governor cited other cases to include the allegations of corruption against the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, as well as the circumstances surrounding, Ibrahim Lamorde, who, as the former EFCC Chairman was accused of corruption by the Senate, and later appointed as the Commissioner of Police at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) Ikoyi.

Fayose urged the president to explain how Ahmed Gambo Saleh, was appointed as the Supreme Court Registrar, despite his indictment over an alleged N2 billion fraud.

He tasked Buhari to unmask those behind the fraudulent reinstatement of Maina, since the report on it was submitted to him last week.

Meanwhile, the former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshimhole, yesterday lauded the appointment of Mr. Boss Mustapha as the new SGF.

A statement by Oshiomhole said the appointment “has come at a very auspicious time when the All Progressives Congress (APC) and government are making efforts to rejuvenate the system for enhanced service delivery to the people.

“Mustapha saw the entire processes of the formation of the party and the electioneering and management of all the factors that led to the victory of the party at the 2015 general elections.

“He is not just a seasoned party man who understands the dynamics of management, but also very much abreast with governmental administration and responsibilities.”

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