₦airaland Forum

Shehu Sani, the Senator heading the committee whose investigation led to the suspension of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has called for the dissolution of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, chaired by Itse Sagay.

Mr. Sani, APC-Kaduna, made the call on Thursday, saying the Sagay-led committee was incompetent, having allegedly defended Mr. Lawal as being without guilt.

PREMIUM TIMES fact-check, however, showed Mr. Sani made the call on false premise.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should as a matter of urgency dissolve his Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption,” said Mr. Sani. “It is a moribund and irrelevant assemblage.”
“A Presidential Advisory Committee headed by a man who defended the SGF is without honour.

“The chairman of the committee attacked me for my report on PINE; now that the president has taken steps in the direction of the committee’s report, I hope the professor will muster the courage to also attack the president. The advisory committee was looking for corruption in Sokoto while it’s there in `shokoto’.

“It is sad that most of the mercenary forces hired to rubbish the integrity of the Senate committee and defend those indicted have suddenly lost their voices.”

‘Itse Sagay Hits Back… ‘Shehu Sani Is Ignorant’
In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES after Mr. Sani’s comment Thursday evening, Mr. Sagay, professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said Mr. Sani was ‘speaking out of sheer ignorance’.

“My committee did not support the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” said Mr. Sagay. “We didn’t have any official view on that.”
“Personally,” he added, “I did not express an opinion” when the Senate first indicted Mr. Lawal.

He continued, “My view really is that he (Mr. Sani) is smarting on behalf of the Senate that we have sustained our support for Magu and as a result of that support Magu remains in office, and will continue to do his job of clearing corruption which the Senate is not happy about because they want the corruption to stay.

“And it sounds very ill for Senate to say that anybody has no integrity. They have no basis to say that because their own situation as far is integrity is concerned is the most deplorable in the country. It sounds bad in their mouth to say somebody has no integrity.”

After President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Mr. Lawal over allegations of breach of law and due process in the contracts awarded by the Presidential Initiative on North East, PREMIUM TIMES sought Mr. Sagay’s view.

“It is the correct thing to do,’ he replied.
“One does not need to express it publicly. My view has always been that he should resign or be sacked because the issues are so clear.”
He said one of the highest officials in the country awarded contracts to himself, which is contrary to the constitution.
“I know at the end of the day he will have to go.”

Fact-Check

PREMIUM TIMES reviewed the claims by the senator and the septuagenarian lawyer, known for harsh views on the Nigerian Senate.
Our independent checks revealed Mr. Sani based his call for the dissolution of Mr. Sagay’s committee on false ground.

Mr. Sagay did not express support for Mr. Lawal at any time, neither did he attack Mr. Sani for his report on Mr. Lawal nor the Senate for asking Mr. Buhari to sack and prosecute the now suspended SGF.

Rather, Mr. Sagay slammed Mr. Sani for attacking and accusing Mr. Buhari of treating corruption in the executive arm with ‘deodorant’.

Then, Mr. Sagay said Mr. Sani’s blistering remark on Mr. Buhari was based on politics.
He in fact denied having much knowledge about the SGF.

“I don’t know too much about the Secretary to the Federal Government, I must confess that. I don’t know much about that,” the professor said then.
“But I know the case of Magu thoroughly. And the allegations are spurious. There is no reality in them. The whole thing was distorted to give a wrong impression about Magu,” said Mr. Sagay on January 26.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/229192-itse-sagay-shehu-sani-squabble-senators-controversial-demand.html

Itse sagay our man

Nightmare of wailers home and abroad

masterpiece86:
“My committee did not support the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” said Mr. Sagay. “We didn’t have any official view on that.”
“Personally,” he added, “I did not express an opinion” when the Senate first indicted Mr. Lawal.

The Prof. is only being smart by half. He was aware of the situation but conveniently did not express an opinion.

These guys are fighting egos, personal interest, ethnic wars, they are clearly not fighting corruption.

sarrki:
Sorry sire

Are you part of the constituted panel ?

sarrki:
We understand with you sire

I think it most unnecessary to clog up the coveted FP with irrelevant posts


Meanwhile it seems Prof has 'forgotten' this 'opinion',

“On the SGF, from what I heard though I am not familiar with that case, what the president said was that the man had not been given fair hearing by the Senate. That is what I thought I heard and if that is the case, the Senate has to give him fair hearing and then after that, you can judge him.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/01/efcc-senate-takes-on-dss-over-magu/

additional comment from
http://omojuwa.com/2017/01/allegations-magu-cooked-sagay/

double post

three:
double post

Sorry sire

Are you part of the constituted panel ?

three:
double post

We understand with you sire

There is no personal opinion when the committee in which he is the chairman has made a point known to all. Premium Times are mischievous or equally incompetent.

If professor Sagay never did comment on Lawal's issue, Senator Shehu should tender an unreserved apology, well that's if he has honour, Nigerians in corridors of power get honour self?

Ok

Itse Sagay and Malami shpuld resign for giving Babachi Grasscutter a clean bill of health. I'm not surprised that loud mouth Sagay is trying to refute that.


What is the function of PAAC if it can't advise the President about corrupt individuals in the Presidency

Sani the activist who wants to hammer by all means speaks foolishly most of the times.