Contrary to his grand standing on Wednesday that he would not appear before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East because he had challenged the Senate’s invitation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babachir Lawal, on Thursday made a U- turn, asking the Senate to reschedule his appearance because of “a pressing engagement of Government which clashed with the date and time of the hearing.”
His new posture was contained in a letter he personally signed, dated March 23, and addressed to the Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, Senator Shehu Sani, and titled: ‘Re: Invitation for Public Hearing.”
He said in the letter, “I wish to kindly request that you draw the attention of the other members of the Committee that I will not be able to appear before the Committee, primarily because of a pressing engagement of government, which clashed with the date and time of the hearing.
“I kindly request a rescheduling of the hearing, please. “Please, accept my highest regards.”
Recall that Lawal and the Managing Director of his company, Rholavision Engineering Company, had told the Senate that they would not honour the invitation extended to the by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, because they had gone to court to challenge the invitation.
The Senate Committee had on Tuesday, issued a fresh summon on both the SGF, and his company’s MD, as part of the ongoing investigation into claims that funds earmarked for humanitarian crisis in the North-East were mismanaged.
But the duo had in separate letters dated March 22, and addressed to Senator Sani, said that they would not appear before the committee, on the ground that they had gone to court to challenge the invitation.
Lawal has said in the March 22 letter, “I wish to kindly request that you draw the attention of the other members of the committee that I will not be able to appear before the committee primarily because I have gone to court to challenge the invitation among others.”
Lawal and his company’s MD were scheduled to appear before the committee to throw more light on the committee’s investigations.
