Political scientist and analyst, Dr Kunle Fagbemi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to place several top government officials on administrative leave pending an investigation into the controversy surrounding the alleged fake agency linked to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
In an interview on Arise Television, monitored by The News Chronicle, on Monday, Fagbemi said the officials should temporarily step aside to allow for a transparent investigation.
Those he listed include the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi; the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso; the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack.
The call follows allegations by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), claiming that Gbajabiamila received N400 million through a proxy and demanded an additional N200 million to facilitate his appointment.
The Presidency has denied the allegations, maintaining that Gbajabiamila neither issues appointment letters nor has the authority to make such appointments.
Fagbemi argued that the Presidency is an institution solely vested in the President and urged Tinubu to order a comprehensive audit of all offices and residential facilities within the State House.
“The Presidency of Nigeria is solely vested in the President of Nigeria,” he said.
He also called for the establishment of a panel of inquiry to investigate the activities of the alleged fake agency.
“In furtherance of the Public Service Rules, I invite the following officers, under the directives of the incumbent President, to proceed on administrative leave,” Fagbemi said.
“They are the Chief of Staff to the President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Director of Banking Operations of the CBN, and the Director-General of the Budget Office.
“These officers may need to understand that the information already in the public domain requires them to account for their respective portfolios, and they would need to appear before the panel of inquiry.”
