There is a seeming game of musical chairs currently going on in the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), where, before our very eyes, the pot is calling the kettle black, leveraging on filial connections to force all of us to accept wrong as right.
Firstly, in the true traditions of full disclosure that The New York Times, a global newspaper whose editorial meetings I had the privilege of attending, institutionalises, let me say that I personally know Surveyor Kabir M.M, Registrar and Chief Executive of SURCON, who is the victim on the matter under discussion. But it is because of that knowledge that I can openly write and say that he is one of the finest human beings I have ever had the privilege of coming across.
For those who do not know, here is a summary of the matter at hand: on May 28 this year, a certain Surveyor Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla, currently holding the title of President-in-Council of SURCON, sent a petition addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, which he sensationally entitled “mitigating potential crisis and corruption in the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON) in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s reform mission.”
In that petition, which he copied the Vice President and about sixteen other top government officials, he made very spurious and ridiculous arguments in a desperate bid to nail Surveyor Kabir, the person he has chosen to hate. One of the false accusations he made was that since his appointment as President-in-Council of SURCON by President Buhari about three years ago, he has been the one footing his bill, even on official duties. He then revealed that on a Sunday, he got a payment into his account, of some millions of naira from a private account.
Now, for God sake, if one receives payment into one’s account that he does not know of or believe in, what is the right thing to do? Is it not to return the money or report same to law enforcement or anti-corruption officials? In the case of the petitioner, he spent every dime of the money that he is claiming he was illegally paid, an indication that he believes the process was correctly pursued.
I took the trouble of going to SURCON, leveraging on the Freedom of Information Act, and found out that the organisation has been paying for every dime that Surveyor Agbenla has spent on official duties. In other words, the organisation has paid for every claim he made. I cannot prove the allegation by Surveyor Kabir, in his defence, that the President-in-Council said he could not work with him, within days of his appointment to that office, but members of staff I have interviewed have assured me that Surveyor Agbenla even operates an office within the establishment, and very erroneously sees himself as the accounting officer of same.
Now, this is one of the issues the Buhari Administration must quickly address. The resort by some board chairmen to think that they, and not the chief executives of parastatals, are the accounting officers must be nipped in the bud with dispatch, because it has been a major harbinger of crises in many federal parastatals today. The law setting up SURCON has clearly defined the powers of a President-in-Council. It is just another name for board chairman, who cannot have an office nor operate as a public officer entitled to such privileges as accommodation, cars, etc.
Of course some organizations give their board chairmen official cars, but even that is wrong. A circular issued last year by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) was clear that board chairmen (including President-in-Council) cannot even stay in a hotel for more than seven days without due clearance from the SGF.
One is constrained to discuss full details of this matter, as doing so will be subjudice. Already, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has taken Surveyor Agbenla to court. An FCT High Court in Zuba, Abuja, has been hearing the case since last year. It is therefore, very wrong for the President-in-Council to, in the first place, write a petition on issues that are pending before a court of law, and in which he is the accused.
Barrister Babatunde Fashola, whose Ministry supervises SURCON, is one of the ministers in the Buhari Administration that I hold in a high esteem. He should not allow himself to be used by tribal champions who think they hail from the same state as him to intimidate out of office, a very innocent and hardworking public officer who is making this government very proud by the era of transparency and accountability that he has enthroned since his appointment as Registrar of SURCON by President Muhammadu Buhari three years ago. It is possible that Surveyor Kabir has in the course of headship of SURCON made some human mistakes, just as a probe of any human being will always show some errors. But then no human being is an angel.
The Minister should also be interested in the composition of the committee tasked with investigation of the petition sent by Surveyor Agbenla and ensure tribal sentiments are not applied to result in a miscarriage of justice. Surely one is not calling to question, the integrity of members of the committee. But in a country like ours, realities of the times demand for balancing in the composition of committees empowered to investigate any public officer.
Also personal relationships between key members of the committee with the accused or the accuser must be ascertained, so that at the end of the day, the innocent is not turned to a villain. It is because President Buhari is aware of the tendency of merchants of hate to try to destroy public officers they dislike that he does not rush in hanging accused ministers and other public officers. Circumspection is key in such matters.
The good thing is that Babatunde Fashola is not just a Minister of the Federal Republic, but also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I have confidence in him to do the needful and correct all anomalies. Meanwhile, this column is watching the matter and will keep readers posted as it progresses.
As SURJEN, Pseven roll out free malaria testing in Abuja
It is heartwarming that at this time when the spending power of most Nigerians is at a low ebb, SURJEN, a comprehensive health tech startup aimed at making quality healthcare services accessible to the general public from the comfort of their homes, is partnering with Pseven Medical Diagnostics to offer free malaria diagnosis, with free home sample collection making the package the best that has ever been availed the residents of the capital city.
Malaria is endemic in Nigeria, killing over a thousand people everyday. The disease has remained one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the country, with hospital reviews showing it alone accounts for over 60 percent of outpatient visits in the country. Malaria is also responsible for 30 percent for children under five, and 11 percent mortality in pregnant women.
This noble exercise started by SURJEN in partnership with Pseven is aimed at achieving timely and effective access to malaria diagnosis and treatment option when confirmed. And because malaria is not the only cause of fever in the country, there is the sure need for quality diagnosis to ensure only cases of malaria are treated as such. For an endemic country such as ours, this exercise will help overcome the associated risk of fatal outcomes.
One of every four deaths that take place as a result of malaria all over the world happen in Nigeria. This free exercise is available to all Nigerians resident in the Federal Capital Territory, in particular the elderly, children, pregnant women, adult men and women of all ages and backgrounds.