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Posted on: 10:38 Tue, 07 Feb 2017
The embattled Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has finally appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Days after he failed to honour an initial invitation to defend his office’s proposed budget for 2017, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, finally appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs on Monday.
According to Premium Times, the initial schedule for Lawal who had been represented by the permanent secretary (general services), Office of the SGF, Mohammaed Bukar, to defend his office’s proposed budget of N9.88 billion was last Thursday.
The SGF’s representative’s appearance had been rejected by the committee which insisted that Lawal must appear in person, and on Monday when he eventually appeared, Lawal said his initial absence was a result of the death of the wife of the Sports Minister.
However, his absence fueled suspicions that he took the decision as a result of his ongoing row with the Senate.
Recall that the Senate had last year, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve Lawal of his position and get him prosecuted after the legislature accused him of breaching the country’s law and code of conduct for public officers in handling of a “grass cutting†contract awarded by the Presidential Initiative for the North East, PINE, under his office.
Babachir later dismissed the Senate as saying “balderdash†and accused the lawmakers of desperation to “pull him down†.
During his appearance before the Tijani Kaura-led committee on Monday, Lawal said that out of the N9.9 billion proposed for his office, N3.4 billion was proposed for personnel costs, while N3.8billion was proposed for overhead, representing a N2 billion increase from the 2016 provision.
He said the amount proposed for overhead was meant for activities and programmes of other offices headed by various permanent secretaries in his office, as well as funding of activities and programmes of political office holders such as the special advisers and senior special assistants to the president.
Lawal who added that N2.7 billion would go to capital projects, decried the provision for his office as inadequate.
Following questions from the Senators, he assured that funds to care of former leaders had been “sufficiently†budgeted.
The embattled Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has finally appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Days after he failed to honour an initial invitation to defend his office’s proposed budget for 2017, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, finally appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs on Monday.
According to Premium Times, the initial schedule for Lawal who had been represented by the permanent secretary (general services), Office of the SGF, Mohammaed Bukar, to defend his office’s proposed budget of N9.88 billion was last Thursday.
The SGF’s representative’s appearance had been rejected by the committee which insisted that Lawal must appear in person, and on Monday when he eventually appeared, Lawal said his initial absence was a result of the death of the wife of the Sports Minister.
However, his absence fueled suspicions that he took the decision as a result of his ongoing row with the Senate.
Recall that the Senate had last year, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve Lawal of his position and get him prosecuted after the legislature accused him of breaching the country’s law and code of conduct for public officers in handling of a “grass cutting†contract awarded by the Presidential Initiative for the North East, PINE, under his office.
Babachir later dismissed the Senate as saying “balderdash†and accused the lawmakers of desperation to “pull him down†.
During his appearance before the Tijani Kaura-led committee on Monday, Lawal said that out of the N9.9 billion proposed for his office, N3.4 billion was proposed for personnel costs, while N3.8billion was proposed for overhead, representing a N2 billion increase from the 2016 provision.
He said the amount proposed for overhead was meant for activities and programmes of other offices headed by various permanent secretaries in his office, as well as funding of activities and programmes of political office holders such as the special advisers and senior special assistants to the president.
Lawal who added that N2.7 billion would go to capital projects, decried the provision for his office as inadequate.
Following questions from the Senators, he assured that funds to care of former leaders had been “sufficiently†budgeted.