The latest
reports at the Office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), depicted they have
received petitions on monumental corrupt practices against the current
Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Engr.
Mustapha Maihaja, reports ITRealms.
This revelation is on the heels of a recent public hearing of
House of Representatives investigating alleged breaches of public trust in NEMA
led by Maihaja which was found to have expended over N5bn on companies that
have no legal qualifications to get contract awards from the federal government.
The NEMA boss who has been enmeshed in several scandals including
arbitrary harassment and suspension of directors and massive redeployment of
Account Staff is alleged to be engaged in corrupt practices in less than a year
since his appointment in April 2017.
One of the latest request entitled “Petition Against Engineer Mustafa
Yunusa Maihaja, Director-General NEMA” the Office of the Vice President
directed Maihaja to respond to the query.
In a letter dated January 15, 2018 with Reference No
SH/OVP/DCOS/LGR&C/NEMA/367, and signed by Ade Ipaye, Deputy Chief of Staff
to the President, the NEMA boss was requested to send a brief on all the
allegations raised against him in the petition.
Some of these allegations in the petition stated inter alia: “upon
resumption of office in April 2017 Maihaja grounded the operations of Mobile
Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Emergency Response Vehicles, Air Ambulance and the
Helicopter that cost the Federal Government of Nigeria over $100 million tax
payers money to put in place.”
The petition further disclosed that during the 2017 floods when
the Acting President approved and released N1.6bn to provide succour to the 16
affected states, no item was procured and delivered to the states concerned
despite the emergency involved.
Similarly, the Petition further disclosed that Maihaja awarded a
contract of N2.4bn without following due process and above his approval limit
while assigning director of Relief and Rehabilitation to be signing contract
awards.
The Director-General was also alleged to have pocketed substantial
amount of foreign currencies for official oversea trips without actually
embarking on such trips or spending fewer days from the approved durations of such
a trip.
Another allegation against him read: “He travelled to the United
Kingdom for a training with all his entitlements paid for two weeks but he only
spent 5 days and bought an Apple Ipad and return to the country only to pull
out the amount from the Agency’s account.”
Meanwhile the National Assembly through the House Committee on
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness have uncovered over N5 billion contract
scandal under the management of current DG NEMA Maihaja and lambasted him for
spending over N400mn Demurrage on donated Chinese Rice.
He was also accused of awarding contracts to fake companies that
are not qualified for business engagements in Nigeria which included N1.6bn
Flood Victims Fund for 16 States and N3.1bn Food Intervention for victims of
Boko Haram in North-East.
Concerned on his maladministration and victimisation of staff, the
lawmakers have ordered Maihaja and the Governing Board of NEMA to immediately
recall the suspended Directors of the agency who were unfairly and unjustly
treated for challenging his draconian disposition and unethical intents .
The affected officers that were recalled are Director of Finance
and Accounts, Akinbola Gbolahan; Ag. Director, Special Duties, Mr. Umesi
Emenike; and Director, Risk Reduction, Mallam Alhassan Nuhu. Others are pilot
in charge of Air Ambulance and Aviation Unit, Mr. Mamman Ali Ibrahim; the Chief
Maintenance Officer, Mr. Ganiyu Yunusa Deji; and the Director of Welfare, Mr.
Kanar Mohammed.
Further allegations included that there were growing concerns that
as ICPC and other security agencies close in on Maihaja over the petition, the
NEMA boss is also using EFCC under the Office of Vice President to intimidate
the staffs, especially those that have spent over 10 years in the public
service and union leaders.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
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