Following
the allegations of financial fraud leveled against the leadership of
the National Assembly, a group has further released evidence backing the
claims.
Saraki, Ekweremadu, Dogara
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 SaharaReporters, 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.
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