Civil Rights Groups and Corruption Reporter Communications Ltd, publishers of www.corruptionrepoter.com an investigative media platform has called on President Mohammed Buhari, to set up an independent panel of investigation into NIRSAL and its activities.
In a petition by the investigators, they claimed that the call,” is to restore public confidence in the institution and to ensure that NIRSAL doesn’t discredit the President’s anti-corruption war”.
The agency has, therefore, called for the immediate removal of the man at the helm of affairs, Mr. Aliyu Abbatti Abdulhameed, from office as NIRSAL Managing Director/CEO on alleged misappropriation of Farmer’s money.
In a petition to President Buhari, Corruption Reporters had alleged that Mr. Abdulhameed had stayed put in office without going through the norm of handing over, after his tenure expired on December 23, 2020, having been appointed on December 23, 2015.
The petition, which was made available to the media, alleged a series of acts of impunity against the former MD of NIRSAL calling for his removal as he illegally continues to occupy office despite the expiration of his tenure.
The petition had alleged that NIRSAL, “enjoy all the privileges of being a public institution, having been created with tax payers’ funds with zero responsibility to the public as though it was a private institution, yet NIRSAL is not subject to the regulations that guide private organizations”.
The civil rights groups and the media outfit further alleged that Mr. Abdulhameed had converted NIRSAL, which was established with a take-off grant of 500million US Dollars from the CBN, “into a personal fiefdom” under his control.
The petitioners also alleged that several investigations had revealed NIRSAL to be corrupt as the MD had gone to great lengths to suppress such investigations, including a Board Audit Committee chaired by the CBN deputy governor, Edward Adamu.
The petition similarly alleged that the company didn’t follow due process in the award of contracts while funds running into billions of Naira were allegedly diverted.
