By INALEGWU SHAIBU
SECTION 88 (2) of the 1999 Constitution empowers the National Assembly to carry out oversight functions over government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
The oversights are to ensure that the MDAs do not short-change the citizenry in the process of service delivery. It is also meant to check the abuse of due process by government departments and agencies in contract awards and executions and to ensure strict compliance with extant laws of the country especially in the application of public funds.
The Senate has always applied this section to carry out its legislative functions particularly whenever there are suspicions of malfeasance in the public sector.
Since its inauguration last June, the Seventh Senate has beamed its investigative searchlights on some sectors including oil and gas, education, works and the economy among others. As at April, the red chamber has carried out about 10 investigative hearings through its various standing committees.
Some of the probes were instigated by public outcries against government policies, while a few others were to satisfy the Senate's compelling need to ensure accountability and good governance in the country.
The probes: A shortlist of the probes so far conducted includes investigative hearing on sale of government enterprises by the Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE; the Fuel subsidy probe; probe of the administration of pension scheme; and investigative hearing on the post-Universities Matriculations Examination.
(http://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/senate.jpg?9d7bd4) (http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/10/electoral-act-amendment-reps-approve-april-polls-30-days-to-handover-date/senate-8/)*The reports are not on the table The list further includes the probe of the new vehicle number plates and drivers' license introduced by the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC; a hearing on the financial status of state governments; investigative hearing on dwindling state of sports;, and the outbreak of cholera in the country.
The message from the Senate President, David Mark was at all times unequivocal at the commencement of each of the probes. Both at the plenary where the resolutions on the probes are taken and at the opening ceremonies, Mark always insisted on accountability and fairness.
He almost was always quick to diffuse any claim of the probes being charades orchestrated by the Senate to win public sympathy.
His desire to give the National Assembly a clean slate in terms of corruption comes against the plethora of accusations of waste of public expenditures and unjustified salaries that have trailed the legislators in recent times.
For instance, when the Senate was taking a resolution to conduct a probe in the Sports sector, Mark complained about the rot in the system and the open corruption that has taken over the Nigerian sports federation.
He observed that: "Sport has been a very serious business that is of national interest. Olympic is coming and I am not sure whether we have got our team ready. We have failed woefully; corruption is not just financial corruption alone even the way the players were brought in is another form of corruption.
"The confusion between NFA and NFF got to be resolved, as we speak today, Nigeria is very down. I do not think we should bring federal character into football. At the moment; there are too many federal characters.
"There is confusion and government must put its foot down to get it right. We play Rwanda and we are worried, everybody is jittery, instead of us talking about how many goals. It is as bad as that. NFF is the centre of corruption in the country, there is no running away from the fact."
Remarkably, most of the
probes have now been concluded but with the exception of the leadership and those involved in the probes, most Nigerians are in the dark over the status of the probes.
Status of fuel subsidy probe
For instance, while the Senate is done with the BPE probe, adopted its recommendations, with same forwarded to the executive for implementation, the status of the fuel subsidy probe has remained a mystery.
The last that was heard about the probe of the management of the N1.3 trillion fuel subsidy scheme by the Senator Magnus Abe-led Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) was a summon issued to the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
At best, the subsidy probe has remained inconclusive, even though attempts were made by the committee to tell Nigerians that it meant business before it went into limbo last year.
However, what has never been in short supply in each of the probes is the issue of corruption by public servants. Accusations and counter-accusations of graft were the order of the day as public office holders appeared before each of the committees.
In the pension probe for instance, which is yet to be concluded by the joint Senate Committee on Establishment, States and Local Government, heart breaking issues of corruption by civil servants came to fore.
The probe was full of tales of how billions of naira were either siphoned or mismanaged by civil servants in the Police Pension office and the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
Even though the probe is still ongoing, it seems to be the only one that has started yielding results. Five civil servants and a permanent secretary in the office of the Head of Service of the Federation fingered to have corruptly taken N32.8 billion from the Police Pension fund were last week remanded in prison custody by an Abuja High Court.
Remand in prison custory
But for those that have
been concluded, the reports are yet to be taken by the Senate. Among those concluded are the vehicle number plate and drivers' license probe, state insolvency probe, Post-UME probe and host of others.
Reports on the sports probe and vehicle number plate might be delayed because the committees on Sport and Federal Character handling the probe may take time to process their reports for Senate consideration and adoption, bearing in mind that they just ended last week.
Why reports are delayed: There have been obvious delays in the Senate in the processing of the reports ahead of presentation to plenary. Some of the delays could be traced to secretariat work at the committee level, while the delay in others have been blamed on outside interferences, particularly in some of the explosive probes.
The Senate President, had on many occasions rebuffed claims of outside interference in Senate proceedings especially probes, assuring that the Senate would never be arm-twisted into taking negative positions on issues that directly affect Nigerians.
For instance, there have been allegations of outside interference concerning the subsidy probe, which has put its work on hold. An unconfirmed report alleges that pressure groups are moving round the National Assembly, ostensibly to lobby Senators.
Also, a huge amount of money was alleged to have been thrown at the joint committee probing the pension scheme. However, the committee has remained undeterred in its bid to halt all forms of corruption in the pension scheme.
Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), however, rebuffed claims of buckling saying that no amount of pressure would make the Senate sweep any of its probe report under the carpet.
Not under pressure
"To be candid, I am not aware of any pressure, at least I am a member of the leadership of the Senate. I am not aware of any pressure whether external or internal to scuttle the work of our committee regarding its investigation into the fuel subsidy regime," Ndoma-Egba said.
"The committee must finish it work, and it will submit its report at the appropriate time. The committee was mandated by the Senate during a plenary session. So, that plenary must receive the report and discuss the recommendation of the committee."
But whether there are pressures, covert or overt, it is the responsibility of the Senate to show to Nigerians that its many probes are not mere political entertainments, but a worthwhile exercise that will enshrine good governance in the country.
Vanguard Nigeria