[“What the accused persons have put forward through their aides are sad, unfortunate lies, which demand utmost condemnation from Nigerians,”]

Following the allegations of financial fraud leveled against the leadership of the National Assembly, a group has further released evidence backing the claims. Following the allegation it made that Senate President Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, House Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and his deputy, Lasun Yusuf, duped the Federal Government of N630 million, the Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), an advocacy group, has released evidence in support of its claim.

 
According to Reporters, the group, relying on a detailed investigation carried out by CATBAN, said it discovered that the four principal officers of the National Assembly (NASS) stole the said sum by using the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to pay rent and renovation and furnishing fees to themselves for phony official residences.
Responding to the allegations on Tuesday, the Senate President, through his spokesperson, Yusuf Olaniyonu, said CATBAN’s allegations were false.

“There is no truth to the claim by this group. In fact, during the preparation of the budget, the Senate President and Speaker directed the FCDA to remove the N10 billion voted for the construction of their official residences to save cost. The current leadership of the National Assembly will not be part of any illegal payment to anybody,”

Mr. Olaniyonu said.
 
Mr. Dogara, through his media aide, Turaki Hassan, said the same.

“Presiding officers of the National Assembly are entitled to official accommodation, which is provided for by the FCDA as the host of the National Assembly. The same is applicable to the President, Vice President and the Chief Justice of Nigeria because their offices were not covered by the monetization policy. Consequently, no National Assembly presiding officer receives any money from any other source for accommodation or rent. The FCDA is solely responsible for providing official accommodation for presiding officers of the National Assembly and how it goes about it is entirely its business and not that of any presiding officer. It’s callous, wicked and evil for any news medium to seek to perpetuate the mendacity that National Assembly Presiding Officers collected money from FCDA without any form of evidence whatsoever,”

said the Speaker’s spokesman.
 
In a statement issued on Wednesday, CATBAN described the denials of Messrs. Saraki and Dogara as uncoordinated and strewn with mangled facts designed to dupe the public into believing that the principal officers of the National Assembly are considerate and kind-hearted.
 

“What we have at the helm of affairs of our legislature are nothing but pathological liars and individuals who have no moral responsibility whatsoever in being at the helm of affairs of our legislature,”

said the statement signed by Ibrahim Garba Bwala.
 
First, the group argued that the monetization policy, as stipulated by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Act, does not exempt the principal Officers of the National Assembly. This, said CATBAN, explains why former Senate President David Mark and former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal were allowed to own their residences provided by the National Assembly.
 
“What the accused persons have put forward through their aides are sad, unfortunate lies, which demand utmost condemnation from Nigerians,” countered CATBAN.
 The group also argued that the current National Assembly, since its inception, has received N150 billion and N120 billion respectively as its annual budgets through first-line charge.
 In the national legislative budget, CATBAN further argued, monetized provision of accommodation for principal officers are stipulated and specified. Regrettably, the group said, only the Senate President and the Speaker have access to the contents of that budget and have refused to disclose such to members of both chambers.
 

“The reason is simple.  As long as it remains shrouded in secrecy, these individuals can continually perpetrate their criminal activities. The principal officers of the National Assembly, therefore, have no excuse whatsoever to go asking for money from FCDA in the name of accommodation. What they have done is false representation and extortion, in connivance with individuals in the agency,”

said CATBAN. It challenged National Assembly members to demand details of the budget they approved.
 
CATBAN further alleged that the reason for the principal officers’ refusal to allow the N10billion meant for the completion of the construction of their residences in the budget is the wish to criminally exploit the situation.
 

“That contract being handled by Julius Berger Plc was, as a courtesy by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, intended to provide official residence for any sitting officer of the legislature.
“Instead, they cut the allocation to N1 billion in the budget even when they know very well that it cannot in anyway advance the construction work. This is because they have seen the chance to continue to use the accommodation demand to FCDA as a conduit pipe to loot the treasury. The National Assembly has continued to spend millions of naira on the rent accommodation and guest houses (too numerous to mention, both in Abuja & Lagos) for the Principal Officers from the budget of the National Assembly, and still go to the FCDA to collect money for the same exercise,”

CATBAN said.
 
The group insisted that its investigation revealed that the four principal officers were paid a total sum of N630,125,499.90 paid by the FCDA through proxies and fronts presented as agents and property owners. CATBAN ramped up the pressure on the four officers by providing details of the accounts through which each received the illegal payments. The Senate President, who presented a house he acquired during his time as governor of Kwara State, got a total of N199,999,999.90 for the property located at 48 Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja. Broken down, Mr. Saraki was paid N113,095,238.00 plus N11,904,761.90 as Value Added Tax (VAT) as rent and N67,857,142.86 plus N7,142,857.14 VAT for furnishing. The House of Representatives Speaker, using a property at 9 Persian Gulf Close, off Euphrates Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, (recently built for him by A. A. Oil), licked N150,293,500.00. This was made up of N72,833,333.32 plus N7,666,666. 68 (VAT) as rent and N63,146,500.00 plus N6,647,000.00 (VAT) for furnishing.
 
Mr. Ekweremadu, whose audacity was such that he could not be bothered to present a property, maintained CATBAN, received a total sum of N149,832,000.00. This worked out asN90,476,190.76 plus N9,525,809.24 (VAT) as rent and N45,084,285.72 plus N4,745,714.28 (VAT) for furnishing. The Deputy Speaker, like the Deputy Senate President, spared himself the stress of presenting a property and walked away with N130million. He got N62,428,571.42 plus N6,571,428.58 (VAT) in rent and N55, 190,476.18 plus N5,809,523.82 (VAT) for furnishing. The monies, CATBAN said last week, were paid through three companies: Gogetit Investment Limited, Legendark Consult Limited, Pitch Global Services.
 
Gogetit, said CATBAN, received the fraudulent lodgment via Zenith Bank account 1013452206, which has as signatory Orkuma Hembe, brother to Herman Hembe, Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Committee of the House of Representatives. Legendark received via Guaranty Trust accounts 0212119991, 0216710224, which has Akpoti Felix Otaru as signatory. Akpoti is said to be a brother to Natasha Akpoti, with whom he owns the company, Builders Hub. Pitch Global Services’ accounts at First Bank and Skye Bank were used for the illicit transaction. Both have Harrison Onyekachi Ogu as signatory.
 
Just in case the accused persons may want to contest the allegations, CATBAN added:

“We have in our possession all the financial records for the transactions, including how the monies were paid into the accounts, and have made them available to the security agencies for immediate action to ensure everyone involved in this scam is apprehended and made to face justice.”
 

The group reasoned that if the late Senate President, Mr. Chuba Okadigbo, and other principal officers during his time could be impeached for involvement in a controversial N155million, Messrs. Saraki, Dogara and other principal officers of the 8th National Assembly should suffer the same fate or be recalled by their constituencies for the N630million rent scam. The group also repeated its demand for refund of the stolen sum as well as arrest and prosecution of those involved by the appropriate agencies. Equally repeated is the warning that if the National Assembly members fail to sanction the affected officers, the group will turn the National Assembly Complex into a cauldron of mass protests.

Post Reply

Posted: at 2-02-2017 10:48 AM (7 years ago) | Hero

Saraki and co,make still pity for this country small,wetin una wan do with all these money wey una dey steal

Posted: at 2-02-2017 11:12 AM (7 years ago) | Gistmaniac

ppl go say na gona send dem

Posted: at 2-02-2017 11:35 AM (7 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Let all these insentives to politicians be abolished.

They should as from today onward do anything they wish with their own salaries.

Posted: at 2-02-2017 11:54 AM (7 years ago) | Gistmaniac

OK na

Posted: at 2-02-2017 01:24 PM (7 years ago) | Hero

why giving them unnecessary money, when the are collecting their salary.

Posted: at 2-02-2017 09:20 PM (7 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Hmmm I still dey observe

Posted: at 2-02-2017 10:13 PM (7 years ago) | Hero

I just dey observe
   

Posted: at 2-02-2017 11:17 PM (7 years ago) | Addicted Hero

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