FOR REAL? Babachir Lawal Diverted N450m Out Of 530m From PINE

More troubles for suspended SGF Babachir Lawal. Details have come in on his indictment on the contracts in which he and his company, Rholavision, were involved in the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

According to report read on the floor of the senate during plenary on Wednesday, Lawal received kick-backs into his personal and company accounts about N450 million from the various contracts received by some companies. 

Specifically on the grass cutting contracts over which he was indicted, N317 million was paid into his personal accounts after the contract of N530 million was awarded.

Initially, it was reported that the grass cutting contract was worth N200 million only.

According to the report of the committee chaired by Senator Shehu Sani, the N317 million was paid in tranches of N10 million, except once when N47 million was credited to the account on the last day.

The Committee report revealed that after receiving payments from PINE, at least five companies separately paid about N450 million to the Ecobank Plc account of Rholavision Engineering Limited, owned by Lawal.

The account number at Ecobank was given as: 182001809.

The ownership of the company was not only confirmed with the Corporate Affairs Commission, it was also established with the Central Bank of Nigeria that Lawal was a signatory to the account until February 17, 2017, months after he emerged the SGF.

Lawal was also said to have received payments through his personal account at Diamond Bank.

The personal account number at Diamond Bank was given as: 0003004417.

According to a CBN confirmation attached to the report, Lawal was still the signatory to the account of Rholavision until February 17, 2017.

The account shares the same Bank Verification Number with his personal account and 13 other accounts in commercial banks.

Here are the companies and transactions details as contained in the report:

1. Between March 29, 2016 and April 20, 2016, Josmon Technologies Limited transferred N317 million to Rholavision after receiving two “grass-cutting” contracts worth N530.6 million for the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe State.
The transfers were made in tranches, mostly N10 million per transaction, and N47 million on the last day.

2. For the “grass-cutting” contract, Mr. Lawal’s Rholavision was awarded the consultancy contract on March 8, 2016, while the owner was in the service of the government as federal cabinet secretary, in breach of Nigeria’s code of conduct for public officers and the Public Procurement Act.

But apart from that contract which formed the basis of the call by the Senate that Mr. Lawal be removed and prosecuted by President Muhammadu Buhari last December, the suspended SGF was also into other fraudulent deals with companies using PINE as conduit pipe.

3. For instance, on August 8, 2016, JMT Global Technologies Ltd transferred N30 million from its Zenith Bank account 114357188 to Rholavision. Then, JMT had just got eight contracts for “rehabilitations/renovations in Adamawa” State for the sum of N199.4 million.

4. Also Messrs Adamawa Boreholes and Drilling Companies Ltd transferred N18 million to Mr. Lawal’s company, after clinching N54.8 million contract to renovate seven classrooms at Yeskule Girls Secondary School, Michika Adamawa State.

5. Similarly, Barde Brothers Multi-Services Limited which was also awarded seven contracts to renovate classrooms in Adamawa State for N145 million returned N71 million to Mr. Lawal’s company account on October 10, 2016, and another N13 million between July 7, 2016 and September 9, 2016 to his private account.

These allegations are quite weighty.