NEMA probe: Centre writes Speaker, Dogara, warns against political undertones

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), has written the Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, on the ongoing investigations into the activities of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

NEMA has being on the EFCC radar following the alleged disappearance of N2.5billion from the agency.


Six top directors of the agency had since been suspended indefinitely in connection with the missing fund.


CESJET in a letter addressed to the Honourable Speaker and obtained by DAILY POST on Monday, warned the Green Chamber not to allow the mater fades into cultural pot of time.

The letter partly reads.

The available documentary evidence suggests that the former Director- General of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, perpetrated lots of unwholesome atrocities while in office. He practically turned the agency and its resources into a private company by awarding arbitrary contracts and making payments that violated all known public procurement processes. This accounts for why a grand plot has been designed by some individuals acting on behalf of those indicted NEMA officials and presently being dramatized at the Investigative Hearing to cover up for Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi.

Honourable Speaker sir, you are very much aware that upon resumption of duty of the current Director-General, the funds left in the coffers of NEMA was a meagre N4.6 Million and a liability of N1.5 Billion. The immediate past Director-General, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, paid for contracts without proper documentation and maintained 20 different accounts in various banks despite his public servant status. The EFCC found suspicious deposits amounting to 164, 000 US Dollars in his domiciliary account at Standard Chartered Bank alone, all within 18 months. At the same time, he had up to £58, 000 in his Pounds Sterling Account.

The records are clear that the suspended Director of Finance and Accounts, Akinbola Hakeem Gbolahan, also maintained many bank accounts with questionable transactions. In particular, his account in GTBank Plc contained suspicious deposits totalling N27, 650,000. Also, deposits of over £37,000 and $120,000 were found in his domiciliary accounts, and much of these deposits flowed directly from NEMA.

Similarly, the acting Director of Special Duties, Mr. Umesi Emenike, diverted funds meant for programmes and maintenance of the South-South Zone operations of NEMA under his supervision. The funds were paid directly into his accounts (14 of them have been discovered by EFCC in various banks), instead of the Zonal Office Account. Mr. Emenike was found to have withdrawn freely in cash, by electronic transfers or through ATM Machines, without any evidence of the money being used for NEMA activities.

An EFCC report indicated that the Director of Risk Reduction, Mr. Alhassan Nuhu, also maintained five bank accounts which were apparently used as conduits to receive and distribute money from NEMA coffers. According to the report, so far, Mr. Nuhu has not been able to give a satisfactory account of the transactions, including NEMA funds moving through him to a company called Dambo Farms Limited.

The report also indicted the pilot in charge of NEMA’s Air Ambulance, Mamman Ali Ibrahim. He commercialized both the NEMA Air Ambulance and Helicopter. The report further shows that EFCC traced at least N285 Million to him, of which only N63 Million was paid to the Accountant General’s Office and another N11 Million was paid to NEMA while the balance could not be accounted for. According to the report, some of the money was however channelled to his family members through his company named Aerocare West Africa Limited, while others in foreign exchange were directly traced to the former DG’s accounts.

There is also the case of M. Kanar Mohammed, the Director of Welfare. His six bank accounts were found to be replete with NEMA funds, including the sum of N214 Million meant for displaced traditional rulers in the North East but diverted, N184 Million paid by him to one Crystal Chambers and N29.5 Million paid by him to a former Minister, Abdul Bulama.

Honourable Speaker, it would interest you to know that the sacked Directors in league with the former Director-General of NEMA illegally carted away various papers from NEMA files in their bid to exonerate themselves and challenge their suspension, claiming they were innocent whistle-blowers being victimized by the Governing Council. Therefore, the action of the sacked Directors by dragging the Governing Council of NEMA to the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness is a calculated attempt to subvert the course of justice.

It is worrisome that NEMA, which is a strategic Agency saddled with the responsibility of mitigating national emergency situations in the country, would be milked dry and rendered comatose by Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi and his cohorts as exposed herein only for the House of Representatives to focus their probe solely on the current Director-General. We believe that some wicked elements within the House of Representatives are desperate to cover the tracks of the former Director-General and the suspended 6 Directors about the alleged fraud and violation of public trust in NEMA. Unless and until Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi is handcuffed by the EFCC and detained for thorough investigation, we in the civil society will never be convinced that the House of Representatives is all out to genuinely and transparently exercise their power to conduct investigations into the activities in line with Section 88 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

In view of the foregoing, we urgently call on the Honourable Speaker to suspend the ongoing Investigative Hearing on the activities of NEMA.
Alternatively, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness should be directed to invite Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, the 6 suspended Directors and other indicted persons or organizations for a holistic probe. The real criminals must be brought to book regardless of the campaign of defamation they have launched against the current Director-General of NEMA and by extension the Governing Council headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, GCON.

We are patriotic citizens who believe that justice and fairness must be served in the interest of Nigeria as a whole. History will not forgive us if we fold our arms and refuse to act now only to allow the polity of our dear country to be continuously heated up by some enemies. To this end, we wish to warn that CESJET will be compelled to address the media and take other necessary actions within the next few days if the Honourable Speaker does not consider and heed our demands as contained in this letter.

Failure to adhere to the content of this letter would leave us with no option to agree with the wildly held view in public domain that your alleged persistent threats to deal with the Director General over his relationship with the Governor of Bauchi State, Alh Mohammed Abubakar is at play and Nigerians shall take a firm and decisive Step to address it.

Accept the assurances of our best regards.

Yours faithfully,
FOR: CENTRE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUITY AND TRANSPARENCY


Edward Omaga, Esq.
(Legal Adviser)


CC:
His Excellency,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo
Vice President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria

His Excellency,
Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki
President of the Senate,
Federal Republic of Nigeria



CP Ibrahim Magu
Acting Executive Vice Chairman,
Economics and Financial Crimes Commission
Abuja

Engr. Mustapha Maihaja
Director General
National Emergency Management Agency
Abuja
[ NEMA].