Category: Politics

Adekunle Williams

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday passed a vote of confidence in the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, after clearing him of all corruption allegations levelled against him by an online medium.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the House unanimously passed the vote of confidence through a voice vote conducted by the Majority Leader, Mr Sanai Agunbiade, who acted as the speaker during the plenary.

NAN reports that this followed the presentation of the report of a nine-member fact-finding ad hoc committee which was headed by Mr Victor Akande (Ojo Constituency 1) during plenary.

NAN reports that the ad hoc committee was set up to investigate all the corruption allegations levelled against the speaker, bothering on operating 64 bank accounts with different names.

The online medium had alleged that the speaker unilaterally approved expenditure for programmes and activities in the house, and spent N258 million to print invitation cards for the inauguration of the 9th assembly.

The online medium alleged that the speaker received N80 million as estacode while his wife was collecting N10 million from the House on a monthly basis.

The online medium also alleged that the House purchased 11 Toyota Hiace buses for the house as well as 80 cars for the lawmakers within a year without following due process.

The speaker on Saturday appeared before state assembly panel of inquiry on the corruption allegations.

Obasa told the panel that the allegations were untrue and that it was the handiwork of his enemies.

Akande, in presenting report of the fact-finding committee during the plenary, said all the allegations made against Obasa were frivolous, adding that the speaker followed due process in all its purchases.

The lawmaker stated that the House was concerned about the damaging allegations against the speaker.

Akande said the committee had recommended that the Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, should begin the process of investigating the leakage of some documents of the house to the media and bring the erring staffers to book.

He said: “We also recommend that the activities of the house should be digitalised for proper record keeping and monitoring.

“It was then suggested by the committee that a vote of confidence should be passed on the speaker of the house,” he said.

Akande said that the banks invited during the investigation, including Ecobank, Wema, Polaris and Zenith, denied allegations that Obasa had multiple accounts with them with the same BVN and different names.

The lawmaker stated that the committee found that the speaker had only one account with Ecobank, which he opened in 2007, but that the account was dormant and that the BVN quoted for Ecobank was not correct.

He said: “The speaker did not have multiple accounts with Ecobank, the BVN ascribed to Wema Bank does not belong to him and the companies attributed to him in Wema Bank is not correct.

“Out of the 14 accounts attributed to him for Zenith Bank, only six belong to him and only two are active.

“The companies ascribed to him in Zenith Bank does not belong to him. The Deputy Speaker did not attend any trip in Dubai as against the reports of SaharaReporters.

“The ad hoc committee also discovered that the purchase of vehicles for the lawmakers were ratified by the Fund Management Committee (FMC) of the House in both the 8th and 9th assemblies.

“We also revealed that the purchase of Toyota Prado and Land Cruiser cars for members were approved by the FMC and the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA).

“The purchase of operational vehicles for members of the 9th Assembly was approved by the FMC members.”

Akande said the purchase of 36 Toyota Prado and six Toyota Land Cruisers were budgeted for and approved by the PPA, adding that the allegation of spending N64 Million for social media influencers was not true.

He said the speaker made the USA trip and only eight Hiace Buses were purchased for committee work and staff.

Akande said contrary to the claim that N258 million was spent for printing invitation cards for the inauguration for 9th assembly, only N61 million was spent for the event and N1.1 for invitation cards.

According to him, the facility management company in the House does not belong to the speaker while the alleged N10 million paid to the speaker wife is not true.

Mr Setonji David (Badagry II) thereafter moved a motion for the adoption of the recommendation of the committee, which was supported by Mr Temitope Adewale (Ifako Ijaiye II).

NAN reports that the ad hoc committee had conducted the investigation into the allegations against the speaker on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Members of the committee are Mr Yinka Ogundimu (Agege II), Mr Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa II), Mr Lukmon Olumoh (Ajeromi Ifelodun I) and Mr Ajani Owolabi (Lagos Mainland I).

Others are Mrs Mojisola Alli-Macaulay (Amuwo Odofin I), Mr Rotimi Olowo (Shomolu I) and Mr Akeem Shokunle (Oshodi/Isolo I).

EricJames Ochigbo

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Account (PAC) has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest on the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) Mr Ahmed Idris.

The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Wole Oke (PDP-Osun), issued the threat over the failure of the AGF to appear before the committee to defend the amount spent on COVID-19 pandemic response before an investigative hearing.

The investigative hearing, which sat on Monday in Abuja, was on funds so far spent on the pandemic.

Oke said that if the accountant-general failed to appear on June 15, the committee would invoke the relevant sections of the Constitution for his arrest.

“The accountant general should not disrespect the parliament; he should stop disrespecting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The best the President can do for him is to appoint him as chief accountant; he must appear here on June 15 or we shall do the needful, we shall issue a warrant of arrest on him.

“We have asked him many times to appear and defend financial issues arising from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation but he is running away,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, told the committee that the centre had so far received N5.620 billion in two tranches.

He said that out of the total amount, N620 million was earlier released to the centre to enable adequate preparedness the moment COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.

Ihekweazu explained that the sum of five billion naira was later released for the actual response after the first case was recorded in the country.

The director-general told the lawmakers that the centre had so far spent a total of N1.2 billion in response to contain the pandemic.

“We have spent N380 million on procurement of medical and laboratory supplies, we spent N250 million on deployment of rapid response team across the country and N192 million on emergency procurement of medical equipment.

“We have spent N142 million on the engagement of ad hoc staff, N101 million on surveillance and response activities, N41 million on various repairs and reconstruction works and N34 million on training.

“We have spent N22 million on supporting the supply chains, N6 million on risks communication and out of that, a total of N41 million was paid as tax in areas where tax is necessary,’’ he said.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Musyapha Suleiman, told the lawmakers that a total of N500 million was earmarked for the ministry but only N250 million had been released.

Suleiman said that of the amount released, the sum of N164 million had been spent on the accommodation and feeding of returnees.

Contrary to claims on social media, Suleiman said that the returnees were not bearing the cost of their hotel accommodation and feeding.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mr Abdulazeez Abdullahi, said that after the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 was set up, N48 billion was approved for the ministry.

He explained that the amount was for the provision of infrastructures across the country and that another N21 billion was to cater for operations.

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said it was yet to receive any COVID-19 fund.

The Committee adjourned the hearing to June 15, and demanded all relevant documents and details of expenditures.

Monday Ajogun

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State on Monday assured that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would provide a level playing field for all aspirants in its  Edo governorship primary.

Fintiri, who is the Chairman of the PDP screening committee ahead of the gubernatorial primary scheduled for June 19th and 20th, spoke with newsmen in an interview in Benin.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that  three aspirants,  Ogbeide Ihama, Gideon Izilen and Kenneth Imasuagbon are jostling for the  party’s ticket in Edo.

Fintiri said that the  party would ensure  fairness and justice to all its  members.

According to him, the PDP is expecting fairness and justice from the committee, and the best gubernatorial candidate that will take over Edo in the 2020 elections will emerge in the primaries.

He lauded Edo governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki for approving the use of Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium for the PDP primary.

Obaseki is of the All Progressives Congress.

“Approving the use of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium for our primary has further described Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo as a true democrat.

“I am going to lodge in government house, and his Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu is here to receive me. That doesn’t mean we are not going to defeat him in the elections,” he said.

He hoped that Obaseki would overcome all the challenges he was facing in his party before the governorship election.