Fred Itua, Abuja
Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), Junaid Abdullahi, has dismissed an allegation that he unilaterally approved the relocation of the agency’s office to a new rented office in Abuja.
In a petition addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, a civil society organisation, Public Service Integrity Watch (PSIW), claimed that Abdullahi didn’t follow due process in the running of the agency.
Dismissing the claim, Abdullahi said contrary to the allegations, the agency had a management board meeting where a resolution was reached regarding the relocation of the agency’s office.
According to documents cited by Daily Sun, the management, at a meeting, resolved that it was necessary to relocate the office to a more secure and conducive location.
According to the documents cited, a letter was written to the Ministry of Works and Housing to approve the relocation in line with laid down laws. A director approved the request of the relocation on behalf of the Minister.
The documents further showed that two other letters were written to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is the chairman of the governing board and the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
Investigations by Daily Sun further revealed that the management at a meeting, also approved the refurbishment of some broken down utility vehicles needed for project supervision. It also approved the purchase of some vehicles
A source familiar with the development, told Daily Sun that a member of the governing board of the agency from one of the geopolitical zones and a director in the agency, are behind the petition against the Executive Secretary.
Explaining further, the Executive Secretary, Abdullahi said: “These claims are not true. This agency doesn’t generate funds. Our responsibility is well defined and we have adhered to what the law says.
“I don’t think Nigerians should take what our distractors are saying seriously. We have a mandate and we are focused on delivering on that. Nothing will deter us because we have nothing to hide.”