Trouble For Buhari’s SGF For Allegedly Taking Cash Gift

A social cultural group of concerned indigenes of Ebonyi state are
demanding that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation
(SGF), Engineer Babachir David Lawal, discloses how much of the
state's money their governor gave him as cash gift, The Union reports.



This is coming after Lawal was reported to have disclosed during a
vote of thanks at a thanksgiving service held on October 17, in Abuja,
that Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state had made a gift of some cash
to him after he had initially refused plan by the governor to send him
some rice.

Part of his vote of thanks reads: "Another man who I just met
recently; the man who read the second verse, David Umahi – what is
your second name; whether Umuahia or something like that – really
since the time we met, I don't know why, our spirits locked on. And
you see that he has been good; he is somebody I know that when am in
trouble I can always run to him. This is a man; I don't know but he is
PDP; he's Igbo but he sent a trailer load of rice to my governor for
the IDPs in Adamawa state recently. May be he did not want me to say
it.

"Again, one day I was just in my office looking and sounding broke, he
just said 'during the Sallah, I am going to send Ebonyi rice to you'.
And I said I don't want Ebonyi rice, I have too much rice in my house;
I don't even know what to do with the rice. So later his ADC comes and
says oga sent me to you. And I said what is inside that thing and he
said money and I said bring it my friend."

The group however, as reported by The Union, said that it was giving
President Muhammadu Buhari's SGF 30 days to comply by disclosing the
exact amount of money or face legal action, stressing that the money
was given without budgetary approval and as such may have been an
inducement.

The group in the petition dated November 11, 2015, and addressed to
the SGF, titled 'Request In Re: Freedom of Information Act', believes
that despite the fact that Lawal had openly spoken about the gesture,
he should disclose fully what was given to him in the spirit of
transparency and accountability so as to enable them put a check on
the disbursement of state funds by the governor.

Meanwhile, fear has gripped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over
alleged plans by two of its governors to dump the party for the ruling
All Progressives Congress (APC).

-Naij