NEMA Fraud: Suspension Of Directors In Order – Oyo-Ita, Magu Insists

NEMA DG Mustapha Maihaja

Suspension Of NEMA Directors In Order, HoS, EFCC Tell Reps Panel

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and the  Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, have both maintained that the suspension of six directors by the Board of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), was in order.

Magu who appeared before the House of Representatives panel on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness yesterday said, “We received petitions on December 6, 2017. We went into them, and we have the right and recommended that the people involved should be placed on suspension. We felt that if they remain in office, it will jeopardize our investigation.”

The deputy chairman of the panel Ali Isa (PDP, Gombe) asked Magu to make available the report of EFCC’s findings on their investigation so far to the panel.

But the lawmakers insisted that the suspended staff were not given fair hearing and stood their ground that the staff should be recalled.

In continuation of the hearing, the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja denied allegation by the Yobe State Government that the state has not received any relief materials from the agency in the last one year.

Muhammad Lamin, who is the Yobe State Commissioner of Education and chairman of IDPs relief committee in the state, told the panel that “Yobe State has not received any relief material since the assumption of office of the current DG of NEMA.”

But Maihaja in his reaction denied the allegation saying “I think, maybe there’s a communication gap or something. The presidential committee has been going round all the states, and the state government is fully aware of it.

“It wasn’t me that communicated with them but the ministry of budget and national planning. I believe it’s not true because items have been moved to Yobe State.”

The panel thereafter, directed Maihaja to provide details of the relief materials supplied to Yobe State, the beneficiaries and relevant documents showing those that received them.