Fears Grip Buhari’s Appointees as Tinubu Goes on Suspension Spree

By Halimah Olamide

There are palpable fears among the appointees of the former President Muhammadu Buhari over the seeming new wave of suspensions of some key actor in the former government by the new President, Bola Tinubu.
In two weeks of his assumption of office, Tinubu has suspended the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa.
The two cases of suspensions have sent shockwaves into the system. “The question on the minds of many now is: Who is next?” said a former appointee of the Buhari administration who spoke to the NPO Reports on condition of anonymity.
Just on Wednesday, the president approved the indefinite suspension of Bawa, citing allegations of abuse of office against him as reason.
In a statement signed by Willie Bassey, Director of Information in the office of the Secretary ot the Government of the Federation, George Akume, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, has approved the indefinite suspension from office of Mr. AbdulRasheed Bawa, CON, as the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to allow for proper investigation into his conduct while in office.”
“This follows weighty allegations of abuse of office levelled against him.
“Mr Bawa has been directed to immediately handover the affairs of his office to the Director, Operations in the Commission, who will oversee the affairs of the Office of the Chairman of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
Before that, Emefiele had been picked up by operatives of the Directorate of State Security and is currently undergoing questioning.
Since his arrest, the suspended CBN Governor is said, according to reliable sources, to have been making startling revelations over transactions that went under him at the apex bank.
However, accounts being released by Emefiele are said to be implicating so many other top government officials serving and former.
A competent source said a former Minister is seeking avenues to get to President Tinubu as part of a soft-landing strategy having been mentioned by Emefiele.
“We learnt that the former Minister indeed reached out to former President Buhari over what is possibly going to be an arrest but the former President is said to be indisposed to such interventions at this stage,” a source told the NPO Wednesday night.
Key government agencies where there are said to be apprehensions include the Nigerian Ports Authority, Federal Inland Revenue Services, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and a few others.
Already, NPO Reports learnt that the EFCC has a long list of persons to be invited for questioning over some deals under the supervision especially towards the end of the administration of Buhari.
Among such invitations is that of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who is expected to answer questions over the last minute rush to unveil the Nigeria Air using the Ethiopian Airlines as cover.
Sirika, according to sources, is also expected to explain the cost of 12 fire fighting trucks purchased under his watch which were alleged to be too costly compared to same models sold by the manufacturers to some other countries.