By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA—PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, called off the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting, which normally starts at about 10am every Wednesday.

The reason for the cancellation, according to his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, was to allow the Investigative Committee headed by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, and Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, to present its report to President Buhari.

PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES PROBE REPORT ON SGF AND DG NIA. 2. R-L; President Muhammadu Buhari receives the probe panel report from the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the Suspended SGF and DG NIA at the State House in Abuja.

While the SGF was investigated over handling of finances meant for the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the North East ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency, the NIA Director-General was probed over the huge cash in local and foreign currencies recovered in a private building in Ikoyi, Lagos State.

The investigative committee, which sat for two weeks, was headed by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.

Adesina said in a statement issued early, yesterday: “The meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, will not hold today (yesterday). President Muhammadu Buhari will, however, receive the report of the investigation committee into the allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayo Oke, headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, at 12 noon, in his office.”

Justice’ll be done in due course — Osinbajo

Speaking after submitting the report to the President, the Vice President and chairman of the committee, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who did not disclose the content of the report, said it was only the President that could decide the fate of the SGF and the Director-General of NIA, who had been on suspension since the investigation of the matter started.

Osinbajo told State House correspondents that President Buhari would be fair to the people involved and won’t protect any one found culpable.

Asked if he could give an insight into what the report contained, he said:  “Of course not. I mean this is a report which contains recommendations to the President.

“It is a fact-finding committee as you know and what our terms of reference were was to find out, based on the fact available to us and based on the interviews of witnesses of what transpired in those cases of the report, one involving the SGF and the other the DG of NIA.

“We have now concluded that and we submitted a full report with recommendations to the President. We cannot, of course, give you any kind of details because the President has to look at the report, study it and then make his own decisions based on that report.”

Also asked if he presented his report from the angle of justice or a close friend, especially the report involving the SGF, Osinbajo said:  “Well as you can imagine, we are always fair- minded and the whole approach is to ensure that justice is done in all cases.

“It is in the interest of the government and also the nation that things are done properly and that there is due process and that we are not unfair. You can be sure that we will do the right thing.”

On how soon the President will come out with the final decision on the report, Prof. Osinbajo said:  “All I can say now is that we have submitted the report to the President and it is a very detailed report, as a matter of fact. The President has to study the report and make decisions.”

Prodded  further to give insight into the report, the Vice President said:  “Of course, I cannot, how can I? This is a document which has just been submitted to the President. He is the one who will read the recommendations and the facts and then make a decision.”

On whether heads will roll based on the recommendation of the report, Osinbajo said:  “No, how can I tell you? If you want to know what is in the report, you have to wait, you really have to wait.”

Recall that the Senate had found Lawal guilty of complicity in the finances meant for the welfare of the IDPs in the North East and called on the President to remove him.

Similarly, the President also suspended the Director General of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, over the huge cash discovered in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The President set up a panel, headed by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, to investigated both persons.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had said in a statement: “President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered  investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr David Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East, PINE.

“The President has also directed the suspension of the SGF from office pending the outcome of the investigations.

“In a related development, the President has ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts in foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, has made a claim.”