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Mr Speaker Rt. Hon DimejiSaburBankole
alleged persecution when visiting
Nigerians diaspora rightly questioned
why hehas continued to cling to reins of
power despite serious cases of
corruption brought against him.Mr
Speaker hadinitially alleged religious
agenda against him, now it is politics
even though all the allegedly suspended
progressives are PDP members like him.
On 25th June this year, an
anti-graft agencythe ICPC publicly
stated that Mr Speaker is being probed
over 3 corruption cases including the
N5.2 billion Rural Electrification scam
in which he allegedly employed his
family members and cronies as
contractors. This is a fallout of the
same $16b power probe by the House in
2008 which he claimed stepped on the
toes of many powerful people in the
country. Is this not the same Hon
DimejiBankole that has been running
pillar to post begging the same powerful
people to help him save his job? The
motion for investigation of the N64b
Second Abuja Airport Runway contract,
which led to its cancellation was
actually sponsored by Hon Dino Melaye.
Why would the same person who claimed to
besaving public fundssupervisebrutality
against his colleagues for simply asking
him to explain how he spent N9b capital
allocations?
According to Speaker DimejiBankole,
members of the Progressive-Minded
Legislators, forged documents just to
ridicule him on the N2.3b car scam. The
EFCC report on the car scam was
“authoritatively” quoted in the media
last month stating that overN530m was
found in the Deputy Speaker’sbank
account and that he confessed in writing
that it was the proceeds of thecar scam
which he shared with Mr Speaker and
other principal officers.Did the EFCC
relied on forged documents too? Why is
it that none of us has been charged with
forgery?Can he say the documents we
submitted on the Television,
photocopiers, torchlightetcetera are
also forged?
While Hon Patricia Etteh stepped aside
for her matter to be considered, in
considering the report of the N2.3b car
scam submitted to the House by its
Committee on Ethics and Privileges,the
Deputy Speaker Hon UsmanNafada presided
over a cause in which himself and all
other principal officers are accused. In
their desperation to give the House
leadership a clean bill of health on the
N2.3b car scam, the House Committee on
Ethics and Privilegespublicly exhibited
unethical conduct at its proceedings
onWednesday 29 October, 2008 whichdegenerated
into abuses, threats and name-calling
against Lagos lawyer Barr Festus
Keyamowho initiated the investigations.
But we now know better from media report
that the same leadership which was
cleared by the House Committee on Ethics
and Privileges has since been indicted.
Against this backdrop therefore, we can
predict that the Committee will more
than likelyabsolve the House Leadership
of any blame in their report of
investigations into the N9b Capital
votes, that is if they have indeed been
so mandated by a resolution of the
House.
It is unfortunate thatthe Chairman,
House Committee on Ethics and
PrivilegesHon
SaniSalehMinjibirclaimedthat suspended
progressives did not exhaust the
internal mechanism availed them by the
rules of the House. The Committee
Chairmanknowsvery well that no one can
be suspended under any rule of the House
without first being heard. The House
cannot reduce a criminal allegation
involving the unaccounted expenditure of
a whooping N9b from public purseas its
internal affairs. If events of 22nd
June, 2010 is an internal affairs, why
did they charge Hon Austin Nwachukwu and
3 of us to a magistrate court?
As it stands now, the integrity of the
current administration in the country is
definitely at stake. How the
anti-corruption agencies of government
handle this matter could make or mar the
country’s anti-corruption credentials
both locally and internationally.
Signed
Bitrus B. Kaze
Member, House of Representatives
(Jos South-Jos East Federal
Constituency, Plateau State)
Member of the PML
bitruskaze@yahoo.com,
facebook.com/bitrus, +2348037009617
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