Grass-cutting contract: Senate vows to resist moves to reinstate Lawal

THE Senate, yesterday, vowed to stop any move by powerful political forces within and outside government to reinstate suspended Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, David Babachir Lawal, as it considered the final report of the adhoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, which indicted  him.

The upper chamber said it would not hesitate to go into a fresh war with the Presidency if Lawal returned from his suspension by using very serious legislative interventions to engage the Presidency.

It also resolved to immediately send its resolution to President Muhammadu Buhari for immediate action, even as it adopted the report.

These formed part of the resolutions reached, yesterday, when the lawmakers considered the 45-page report submitted by the Committee Chairman, Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central).

After considering the votes and proceedings on the parliamentary process required in arriving at a logical conclusion on the matter,  Senator Muhammad Shittu (APC, Jigawa North-East), moved for the adoption, while Senator Ben Murray- Bruce (PDP Bayelsa) seconded it.

In his remarks after adoption of the final report, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who confirmed the existence of pressure groups to protect the job of the suspended SGF, said: “I am sure of the kind of pressure on the members; especially the chairman and some of us in the leadership and the kind of pressure we were under. But for you to have been able to stay firm and do your job, and carry out your responsibility, I must commend the committee and the chairman, in particular.”

While perusing the report, senators were shocked that besides the N270 million for the grass-cutting contract, there was another N200 million spent to hire consultants on grass-cutting.Vanguard