*Asks FG to firm up due process
ABUJA — For advocating the creation of Middle Belt as a distinct region from the North, Second Republic Governor of the old Plateau State Chief Solomon Lar has come under fire by a chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mallam Ismaila Isa.
He also reviewed yesterday the due process mechanism put in place by the Federal Government and concluded that more still needed to be done to firm it up, even though the mechanism was a courageous step to check fraud.
Mallam Isa, a member of theACF’s Peace Committee on the Plateau crisis, on Thursday in Abuja urged the Federal Government to call Chief Lar to order over the statement credited to him, which he (Isa) described as “irresponsible, careless and reckless”.
According to him “Chief Lar is an elder statesman and I cannot deny him that; he has been saying some things and we have refused to join issues with him. He was said to have said the North should be divided and that the Middle Belt region should be created and had gone ahead to say that there would be problem in the North if Middle Belt is not created.
“It is a careless statement and uncalled for. It is cheap publicity to gain cheap and divisive prominence. Nobody has monopoly for being irresponsible, careless and reckless. People should be careful of what they say”.
“We are waiting to see what the Federal Government will do to Chief Lar. Why should we fight one another on the basis of religion? Why should anybody think he would gain cheap popularity by using religion to divide the people?
Mallam Ismaila Isa, also Chairman of Bulet Construction Company reviewed the due process mechanism put in place by the Federal Government and concluded that more still needed to be done to firm it up, even though the mechanism was a courageous step to check fraud and waste characteristic of awards of government contracts.
He stated that all contracts must be subjected to due process scrutiny, but noted that the Due Process Office in the Presidency is being bogged down by the twin problems of under-staffing and inadequate funding, which he said should be urgently addressed.
He also canvassed the transformation of the office into an Agency, which should be brought out of the Presidential Villa and properly accommodated in order to allow unfettered access by those whose documents are being scrutinized.
He said: “Due Process is doing a wonderful job. I support them but because Due Process is in the Presidential Villa, it may be difficult for contractors to go in there to confirm if their certificates have been forwarded to them by the ministries through which they were awarded government contracts”.
Mallam Isa said that what he found intriguing, however, was the differentials in the payment for contracts by the Federal Government, which he said “pays for some contracts in foreign currency and others in local currency”.
“If a job is quoted for in naira, it should be paid for in naira. Any time contract is awarded, the exchange rate of dollar to naira at the time of the award should be specified in the contract agreement so that when the money goes up, the Federal Government will pay the differentials. There should be equal treatment to all companies; it is not fair to pay some in naira and others in dollars or Deutsch marks”.
He also maintained that government should award contracts for which it can pay, adding that physical monitoring of jobs would also be in the interest of the nation.
