SGF, Abba Kyari, Others Yet To Carry Out Buhari’s Directive On Reinstatement Of Female Auditor

The pervasive corruption and impunity
among the ranks of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s lieutenants have
continued unabated as his directive to
reinstate a female auditor with the Niger
Delta Power Holding Limited (NDPHC),
Mrs Maryam Danna Mohammed has
remained an illusion.
Muhammadu Buhari and Abba Kyari
One year after President Muhammadu
Buhari’s directive for the reinstatement
of General Manager Audit of the NDPHC,
Mrs. Maryam Danna over an illegal
retirement, no action has been taken by
the concerned officers to comply with
the presidential order.
Mrs Danna, a widow from Borno State
and award-winning chartered
accountant was disengaged in
controversial circumstances over her
anti-corruption stance. She had written
petitions to the Presidency over the
retirement which did not follow due
process and President Buhari
responded to her plight by ordering her
reinstatement. The immediate past SGF,
Babachir Lawal did not effect the
President’s directive until his exit from
the government on corruption
allegations.
On October 25, 2016, the Attorney-
General of the Federation and Minister
of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, based
on the directive of President Buhari,
sent a letter to the Chief of Staff(COS),
Abba Kyari, also from Borno State
directing that Mrs. Mohammed should
be reinstated.
“In this connection, I wish to convey to
you, Mr. President’s approval vide a
meeting with the Honourable Attorney-
General of the Federation and Minister
of Justice on the 12th October 2016, for
the reinstatement of the Staff
(petitioner), Mrs Maryam Danna
Mohammed,” the AGF said in a letter
dated October 25, 2016 addressed to the
Chief of Staff to the president.
However, one year after, the directive
has not been complied with till date.
Fingered in the wrongful disengagement
of the Mrs Danna are the Offices of Vice
President (VP), Secretary to the
Government of the Federation SGF and
Chief of Staff to the President (COS).
Without any query, the then Secretary to
the Government of the Federation (SGF),
Engr. Babachir David Lawal, who himself
was recently sacked in alleged
corruption practices, had issued a letter
conveying notification of her
disengagement as GM NDPHC with
effect from 10th June 2016 while a
Special Adviser to Vice President Yemi
Osinbanjo was appointed as acting
Managing Director of the company.
Initially, the SGF had announced the
dissolution of the Executive
Management of NDPHC and directed the
Managing Director of the company to
hand over to the Aide of the Vice
President. He also directed all the
Executive Directors to handover
immediately to the most senior officers
in their respective departments.
Curiously, only Mrs Maryam was retired
among the thirteen (13) General
Managers in the office.
PRNigeria’s findings have indicated that
her retirement was a punitive measure
against her for exposing corrupt
practices in NDPHC. She was also
accused of ‘blowing a whistle’ over top
officers of the organisation who did not
possess basic and mandatory
requirements to appointments into
office.
One of her Audit Reports in 2014
exposed anomalies in the credentials of
the then Executive Director, Technical
Services at NDPHC Mr Louis Edozien for
presenting neither a discharge nor an
exemption certificate from National
Youth Service Corps (NYSC) before his
appointment.