N628m scam: Speaker, deputy face probe

The House of Representatives on Wednesday set up a nine-member panel to probe the N628m contract scandal involving the Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Etteh, and her deputy, Alhaji Babangida Nguroje.

The panel, whose members were drawn from the three leading political parties in the House, has two weeks to submit its report.It is headed by Mr. David Idoko, a Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker.Other PDP members on the panel are Messrs Rabe Nasir, Chinedu Eluemuno, Peter Umoh, Depo Oyedokun and Yakubu Dogara.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party has two members on the committee while the Action Congress has one. The ANPP members are Alhaji Nasiru Mohammed and Alhaji Saleh Minjibir.

Mr. Habeeb Fashinro is the AC lawmaker in the committee.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Business and Rules, Mr. Ita Enang, and his counterpart in charge of Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eziuche Ubani, said the panel would sit in public. Enang, however, said that security matters could force the panel to sit in camera.

Etteh, shortly after announcing the panel members as submitted to her by the parties, gave two terms of reference to the committee. The terms are to examine the totality of the award of the contract; and the contract for the purchase of 10 units of vehicles for the principal officers of the House.

The Speaker advised the panel to confine itself strictly to the terms. Before the panel members were announced, Etteh protested that no woman was on the list. But she was countered by Mrs. Binta Garba, who said that she was not worried by the non-representation of women in the panel.

The AC Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, had cited Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution to counter the position of the Speaker, but he was not recognised to speak. Etteh, in her brief remarks, said she was aware of the media reports on the scandal and the interest the public had shown in it.

She explained that her position on the matter was contained in her written address, which the rowdy session on Tuesday did not allow her to read. Etteh said, “We resumed on Tuesday. Honestly speaking, I am aware of what is on the ground. It will be insensitive of me to bring the House into disrepute. I know I am thoroughly involved.”

The decision to investigate the scandal followed a point of order raised by the Minority and ANPP Leader in the House, Alhaji Mohammed Ndume. Ndume’s point of order 5 (1) b, states, “Whenever a matter of privilege arises, it shall be taken into consideration immediately.”

He also cited subsection 5 of the same order, which empowers any member of the House who had complaints to make about media reports or publication on the House to do so. The lawmaker added that the media were awash with reports on the contract scandal.

Ndume said, “As all of us are aware, there have been serious publications in the media that have caused embarrassment to the House members and particularly to myself.

“Madam Speaker, your integrity and that of the House is at stake, and the matter is now in the public eye.
“I feel that it is a responsibility on you and the House to immediately set up an independent committee, I insist, an independent committee, to investigate this matter.
“We feel that the Ethics Committee of the House should not be given this responsibility of investigating the case.”

The legislator noted that the Speaker stood to be either cleared or indicted by the panel, and advised her to step aside for the probe to be carried out.

“All Nigerians are waiting for this investigation and we should do it thoroughly,” he said.

Mr. Independence Ogunewe, in his contribution, aligned with Ndume’s submission on the need to investigate the scam. But he rejected the suggestion that Etteh should step aside. According to him, Etteh had not been found guilty and, therefore, it was needless to ask her to step aside.

He enjoined the House to adhere to due process in carrying out the investigation. Ogunewe said, “I very much agree that the mood of the House is that there should be an enquiry. The issues raised still remain allegations.

“The House is the custodian of democracy and democracy is about the rule of law. Fairness should be given the other side to state its case.” According to him, it is “preposterous to ask the Speaker to step aside because we have not found her guilty.

“I agree with the ANPP leader that this committee should be independent. So, if we agree that it should be independent. I think the next step will be how to constitute the committee.” Another member, Dr. M Abdul, an ANPP member, said that his colleagues were worried by the gravity of the allegations.

“It is very important that we establish the facts because we came from excellent backgrounds and we don’t want to destroy the future of our children,” Abdul said. He quoted an adage which says, “If wealth is lost, nothing is lost, but if character is lost, everything is lost.”

A member of the Integrity Group, Dr. Ahmed Salik, disclosed to newsmen that lawmakers held a marathon meeting on Tuesday night on how to constitute the committee. He said that it was at the meeting that they conceded to Etteh, the right to appoint the chairman of the committee.

Other lawmakers, who expressed satisfaction with the way the panel was set up include, the Leader of the group, Mr. Farouk Lawan.

The point of order raised by a member of the New Agenda Group, Mr. Emmanuel Jimeh’ when the Speaker had not concluded matters on Ndume’s Order 5 and related issues almost caused a stir. Gbajabiamila had nominated himself as the AC member of the panel, but his colleagues objected.

They said that the entire leadership of the House was being investigated.

Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has appealed for caution by the members of the House in handling the contract scam. Mark, in his address of welcome to senators after their recess, said that due process should be followed before passing a verdict.

He said, “Within our vicinity, there is a controversy surrounding the renovation of the residence of the Hon. Speaker and that of the Deputy Speaker. As usual, the matter is already in the public domain.”

The President of the Senate said since the matter posed varied challenges to the legislature, its members were required to rise to the occasion by being prepared to handle the issue alongside other legislative duties.

Also on Wednesday, the Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswan, expressed fear that the scandal may have retarded the progress made in the last eight years.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Suswan said that he was surprised that the leadership of the House could allow money to tear them apart.

The governor said, “What we would have expected is that they would have settled down. It is unfortunate that they are starting on that note.
“I find it quite unfortunate that it borders on money. I do believe and hope that they will get to the bottom of it and get out of it quickly so that they can settle down.”

4rum Punch Newspapers

Mrs Etteh's mess

By Hope Eghagha

IN spite of the angry mood of the nation and the so-called 'zero tolerance to corruption' stance of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs . Patricia Etteh is currently embroiled in a messy deal that could cost her the glamour of being the first person of the fair gender to occupy the Number Three position in the political hierarchy of the Nigerian government. As a professional hairdresser, a profession in which the practitioner is fascinated with making women (and men) look beautiful she is accused of dressing up the cost of renovating her official residence in Abuja.

Specifically it is reported that Mrs. Etteh spent the sum of N628 million to renovate the official residences of the Speaker and her deputy. Some of her colleagues are up in arms against her. Some have called on her to step aside while an investigation is on. The PDP seems to be interested in patching things up 'as a family matter'. It might be interesting to know how much it cost to put up the building in the first place. It would also be interesting to know how the information got into the public domain. Have we advanced to a stage where all such anomalies manage to get to the public? Is Mrs. Etteh an unusual person in the present dispensation? In other words is she the only public official who spends state funds in a reckless manner? Why were there no official checks and balances in the National Assembly financial system to prevent her from wasting such funds? Is the situation any better in the Senate?

It would seem to me that Mrs. Etteh's greatest offence is being caught. As we know and as most of the hypocrites in the National Assembly who are calling for her head also know, inflating the cost of transaction is almost an accepted norm. Too many terrible things are going on with state funds across the country that Mrs Etteh's mess can be considered a storm in a tea cup. Sadly it is not a storm in a tea cup. It is an indication that nothing has indeed changed. The pressure to steal to see government appointments as a means of making it in life is still predominant. If we investigate the matter properly, we would find that some of the legislators who have been vociferous against the Speaker have continued to spend millions on travelling allowances, they still insist on settlement each time they visit parastatals under their watch, and even fabricate reasons to embark on trips at the expense of the public. It is still the culture for office holders to create opportunities for making money by creating assignments for themselves.

Our social values have remained warped. They will not change overnight. Else how do we account for the sudden riches phenomenon in the land? Newly appointed state officials are still swimming in ill-gotten wealth. The people have not been empowered and have not empowered themselves to challenge their leaders when they live above their means. This for me is the real issue. What mass oriented structures are in place to check the excesses of the leaders in the country? Until the ballot box is restored as the true determinant of who gets into power the Mrs Ettehs will grow in umber.

Mrs Etteh appears to me as a woman who woke up from sleep and found herself in the opulence of a five star hotel and did not know how to use the wash hand basin. The bathroom was too neat for the back yard business and so she decided to use the bush. As Speaker it is my view that she did not need to have degenerated into the roadside motor mechanic culture of inflating the cost of everything. We demand a modicum of self respect in office holders. Public office should be about the panache of it. It should be concerned with legacies. Mrs Etteh ought to step aside honourably while investigation is being carried out. The PDP should not attempt a cover up. There are attempts by her initial sponsors to save her job. What is more important: Mrs Etteh's job or the health of the nation? I call on honourable members of the House to take a bold step and do the right thing. It must be particularly nauseating to other members of the House that while the official policy of ne official residence for legislators have left them roaming, their leader has spent millions in renovating an apartment. There should be no sentiments whatsoever.

The Nigerian people are watching. This is how they watched and wrote off the Obasanjo administration as a house of hypocritical protestations and sanctimonious mendacity. This was how the last National Assembly first gave itself a bad name. Are we going to witness a repeat of history? Already, the perception is that the current National Assembly lacks the verve of the previous one. Ken Nnamani carried himself well and piloted the affairs of the Senate with equanimity. The antecedents of the incumbent Senate President make him a liability. As far as I know he has not purged himself nor has he apologised to the nation about the 'telephone-not-for-the-poor' misadventure. As long as we have persons who do not have sense of history in power this nation would always be dragged to the mud.

If we are to be taken seriously we need to take ourselves seriously. Suddenly there is a lull in the trial of former governors who were arrested and brought to trial on charges of corruption. Some of the extremely corrupt ones still jet in and out of Nigeria as free men. If President Yar Adua allows the instrument of the state to protect powerful individuals it would be tragic. The governors' trial ought to be concluded within the ambit of the law for the present government to lay any claim to rule of law.

Mrs Patricia Olubunmi Etteh should step aside while a proper investigation is conducted. It is important for her name to be cleared, not for her deeds to be covered up. That way the rest public officers would learn that the culture of frivolous spending or stealing millions of naira in the guise of doing official work is over. All educated and enlightened people across the country should impress it on their representatives in the House of Representatives that they should do the right thing. It is the beginning of another round struggle. Subsequently we shall take on local government chairmen and other officials whose activities impact directly on the lives of millions. The stakes are too high to be left in the hands of a few greedy individuals.

4rum The Guardian Newspapers

Mapo Hall: Ibadan indigenes oppose inauguration by Obasanjo

The embattled Ibadan politician, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, is set for another collision course with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana, and members of the Olubadan-in-council over Thursday’s (today) inauguration of renovated Mapo Hall. The development came just as the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes kicked against the planned inauguration of Mapo Hall by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The renovation of the ancient hall, built over a century ago, was carried out by HUA Engineering Limited, a company in which Adedibu has a substantial interest.

The project was bankrolled by the 11 local governments in Ibadanland and the state government.

It was gathered that Adedibu was instrumental to the invitation of Obasanjo to Ibadan to inaugurate the edifice, which the state Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, had listed as one of his achievements.

Sources said that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, was listed as the royal father of the day.

The Olubadan-in-council and key Ibadan leaders were said to have regarded the development as an affront on their monarch, whose forebears symbolised the Mapo hall.

Sources told our correspondent that the indigenes have made up their mind not to attend the ceremony.

Our correspondent learnt that the Olubadan had directed members of his council to distance themselves from the ceremony or risk being sanctioned.

To underscore this, a statement by the CCII on Wednesday had opposed the choice of Obasanjo for the inauguration.

The statement by the National Secretary of the CCII, Chief Gbade Isola, described the hall as the property of the 11 local government areas in Ibadanland, over which the Olubadan was the president.

Reacting, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communication, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, said the inauguration was beyond partisan politics, but should attract wider interest of all Yoruba sons and daughters.

He said, “We should not make the historical mistake of under-rating the universal importance of Mapo hall that was built almost a century ago and celebrating such an important edifice should attract wider interest that goes beyond partisanship.

4rum Punch Newspapers

Yar'Adua rides high in opinion poll

PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar' Adua's performance in office, in the last 100 days has been given the thumbs up by a majority of Nigerians.

The verdict is the result of a recent Guardian Opinion Poll (GOP) conducted in all the six geo-political zones of the country. The survey, which accommodated responses from Nigerians above 18 years had asked: "Are you satisfied with the performance of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua' s government in the past 100 days?"

According to the result, eight out of every 10 respondents (approximately 79 per cent) answered in the affirmative, while two out of 10 (21 per cent) disagreed.

The favourable rating of the President cuts across the six geo-political zones of the country. The North West led with 87 per cent; North-East, South-West, South-East, North-Central and South-South recorded 84, 80,79,76 and 73 respectively while Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory returned 68 per cent.

The spread of the 21 per cent of respondents who rate the President's performance low cuts across all the geo-political zones. Twenty-seven per cent, which is the highest in this category, was recorded in the South South while North Central turned in 24 per cent. South East, South West, North East and North West also scored the administration low with 21, 20, 16 and 13 per cent respectively. Abuja also polled 32 per cent.

About 53 per cent of those who gave pass mark to the president argued that he has so far shown that he is a listening and responsive president; especially in the way and manner he reversed the Value Added Tax (VAT) and fuel price increases in the wake of mass protest.

Another 22 per cent reasoned that the government has displayed high level of transparency, while 11 per cent agreed that his respect for the rule of law so far is second to none in the history of leadership in Nigeria.

However, a majority of those who gave an "unsatisfactory" answer (58 per cent) argued that there were no tangible achievements on the part of government for now. To them, the country's schools, hospitals and infrastructure are still in deplorable conditions, with the crime rate still alarming and nothing seems to be working for now.

Twenty-two per cent of the respondent also posited that it is too early to rate the government as it is just settling down for the business of governance.

Some who queried the legitimacy of the government argued that the elections that brought President Yar'Adua into office was far from perfect as attested to by the President himself. It was also alleged that the president displayed a high level of tribalism and nepotism in the area of political appointments.

When Yar'Adua was sworn in as president on May 29, 2007, he promised to be a servant-leader with the basic aim of rendering selfless service to Nigerians.

4rum The Guardian Newspapers.