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| Some displaced persons being presented with some relief materials |
The embattled Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Danlami Arabs Rukujei recently arrested by the EFCC for diverting materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) in the State, has owned up to his action but says he had to sell the perishable materials to avoid heavy loss.
Speaking to journalist over his arrest by the Gombe zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of N10 million worth of relief materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons in Gombe, Dr. Rukujei stated that he ordered the sale of cement and paints after discovering that some of the materials had already gotten spoilt due to neglect.
According to him, he recently sold the cements and paints that were brought into the State in April with the intension to produce the money when the materials were needed because it was not just consciously right to allow materials get spoilt due to government’s bureaucracy.
He said, the State took delivery of building materials (cement, paints and 2/3 timbers) for IDP’s in April from the Presidential Committee On North-East Initiative (PCNI) through a contractor this year and by July when there was no communication over utilization of the materials and the timber had been completely lost due to exposure, he wrote and when there was no reply, he ordered his staff to sell the materials in the open market.
Parts of the letter dated 03/07/17 (GO/SEMA/S/PCNI/1334/V.I) he allegedly wrote to the PCNI which he presented to journalists to prove reasons for his actions reads thus, “We wish to draw the attention of committee on the need to avoid keeping for too long periods, items supplied for emergency, distribution of such item to end users should be considered as of utmost importance and therefore treated as urgent.
“While awaiting communication on the utilization of the said materials accept Sir my esteem regard,” parts of the letter reads.
In his words, “you can’t bring things for me in April and by July, you can’t say a word about it, I don’t think that is responsible. I didn’t get a reply, so I had to take a decision on what to do. My safest, and that’s what a lot of Nigerians do, will be to close my eyes, allow the cement to block, allow the paint to spoil, and nobody will ask me, its government property”.
He explained further that that is the trend in this country, which he didn’t follow but added that, “you saw the timber in NEMA, nobody asked how manage it got spoilt. But then I ask myself, as a Nigerian, I’m above 50 now, if it were my property or my friend’s property kept with me, what line of action would I take? Would I allow it to go bad or take steps to make sure that it is not lost”?
He said, “So, I decided unliterary, whatever it will take, whatever it will cost, I will not watch cement and paint go bad like the timber though there was nothing I could do about it. So I asked my staff how much they sell cement in the market (wholesale) they said N2, 400, how much do they sell paint in the market (wholesale), they said N2, 300. So I said go and sell these stuff for me (cement N2, 300 and paint N1, 850), when it is required, I replace it”.
“They were saying we can now use the materials for both IDP’s and the host communities, it’s because I took up the challenge. If we had gone to the warehouse where the timber was kept, I was going to reject the timber, let somebody take me to jail for saving government property, I don’t mind. I would have refused to accept it so that the person who brought it would come and carry it”, he bluntly stressed.
Dr. Rukujei stated how he had been given names because of his opposition to retain IDP camp in Gombe. According to him, “They said I’m not smart, yes I’m not, I don’t want to keep IDP’s where I will keep a supermarket, there are supermarkets in Maiduguri camps and I said we don’t need it.”
Speaking to journalist over his arrest by the Gombe zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of N10 million worth of relief materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons in Gombe, Dr. Rukujei stated that he ordered the sale of cement and paints after discovering that some of the materials had already gotten spoilt due to neglect.
According to him, he recently sold the cements and paints that were brought into the State in April with the intension to produce the money when the materials were needed because it was not just consciously right to allow materials get spoilt due to government’s bureaucracy.
He said, the State took delivery of building materials (cement, paints and 2/3 timbers) for IDP’s in April from the Presidential Committee On North-East Initiative (PCNI) through a contractor this year and by July when there was no communication over utilization of the materials and the timber had been completely lost due to exposure, he wrote and when there was no reply, he ordered his staff to sell the materials in the open market.
Parts of the letter dated 03/07/17 (GO/SEMA/S/PCNI/1334/V.I) he allegedly wrote to the PCNI which he presented to journalists to prove reasons for his actions reads thus, “We wish to draw the attention of committee on the need to avoid keeping for too long periods, items supplied for emergency, distribution of such item to end users should be considered as of utmost importance and therefore treated as urgent.
“While awaiting communication on the utilization of the said materials accept Sir my esteem regard,” parts of the letter reads.
In his words, “you can’t bring things for me in April and by July, you can’t say a word about it, I don’t think that is responsible. I didn’t get a reply, so I had to take a decision on what to do. My safest, and that’s what a lot of Nigerians do, will be to close my eyes, allow the cement to block, allow the paint to spoil, and nobody will ask me, its government property”.
He explained further that that is the trend in this country, which he didn’t follow but added that, “you saw the timber in NEMA, nobody asked how manage it got spoilt. But then I ask myself, as a Nigerian, I’m above 50 now, if it were my property or my friend’s property kept with me, what line of action would I take? Would I allow it to go bad or take steps to make sure that it is not lost”?
He said, “So, I decided unliterary, whatever it will take, whatever it will cost, I will not watch cement and paint go bad like the timber though there was nothing I could do about it. So I asked my staff how much they sell cement in the market (wholesale) they said N2, 400, how much do they sell paint in the market (wholesale), they said N2, 300. So I said go and sell these stuff for me (cement N2, 300 and paint N1, 850), when it is required, I replace it”.
“They were saying we can now use the materials for both IDP’s and the host communities, it’s because I took up the challenge. If we had gone to the warehouse where the timber was kept, I was going to reject the timber, let somebody take me to jail for saving government property, I don’t mind. I would have refused to accept it so that the person who brought it would come and carry it”, he bluntly stressed.
Dr. Rukujei stated how he had been given names because of his opposition to retain IDP camp in Gombe. According to him, “They said I’m not smart, yes I’m not, I don’t want to keep IDP’s where I will keep a supermarket, there are supermarkets in Maiduguri camps and I said we don’t need it.”
In his words, “But disaster is big business, anybody who opposes the business of disaster is in trouble, I am willing to be in trouble because I’m in the business of disaster. Except somebody wakes up today and say how come, nobody is living in camp in Gombe? Why can’t we do that in Maiduguri? As long as we get to that level, I’m telling you we are going to have camp for ever because it’s big business”.
It will be recalled that last Wednesday, the Gombe Zonal office of the economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), issued a press release where it said its operatives arrested the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Danlami Arab Rukuje, for alleged involvement in the diversion of materials meant for IDPs.
The EFCC said the arrest followed a tip-off received by the Intelligence and Special Operations Section (ISOS) of the office.
The materials, which include cans of paints and bags of cement meant as building materials donated to the state by the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiatives (PCNI), never made it to the IDP camps.
According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that they were, instead, diverted to other areas, including markets, for sale. It said a team of operatives acting on the information immediately swung into action, and located shops where the materials were being sold.
The Gombe State Fertilizer Grinding Plant, where some of the materials were kept, was also raided. A store keeper at SEMA, Isa Garba, was subsequently arrested and that further investigations led to the arrest of a staff of the state’s Fertilizer Grinding Plant, Mu'azu Suleman KT.
The EFCC said the suspects were released on bail to reliable sureties and that they will be charged to court, as soon as investigations are concluded.
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