Outrageous! House Speaker, Dimeji Bankole Admits Reps Owe Banks N10b

[TGD]

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, yesterday admitted that a N10 billion loan was taken piecemeal to finance the activities of the House.

Meanwhile, many Nigerians are up in arms against both houses of the National Assembly over what is considered the high cost of running them and maintaining members.

But an uneasy calm now exists in the House as lawmakers await the promise by the House leadership to explore every option to ensure that their 2011 second quarter emoluments and allowances are paid before the end of their tenure.

At an executive session, which lasted for two hours, Bankole was said to have declared that the decision to take the loan was never his alone, adding that some other principal officers and a few lawmakers were privy to the decision.

According to sources at the executive session, the Speaker revealed that the loan was taken in three different categories.

The first was N1.5 billion, which was said to have been used to settle another debt the House owed the Senate in the past. The second was N2.5 billion while the third loan was N6 billion.

He reportedly assured his colleagues that the House leadership was exploring all available options to assist the House in resolving its financial predicament, which had affected its ability to pay lawmakers' 2011 second quarter emoluments.

When the House ended its executive session and re-opened plenary at 1:05p.m., Bankole declared that the House discussed matters relating to the issue of unpaid salaries of lawmakers and accepted the explanations he offered.

He also announced that the payment of the emoluments and allowances of members recalled from suspension was being executed.

Representative Farouk Lawan (PDP, Kano State) who volunteered information to journalists on what happened at the closed-door session, blamed the crisis on communication gap between the leadership and members.

He said: "We agreed after the Speaker's explanation that he was not personally liable to having done anything to compromise the position of the House in the way the transaction was done. The major problem is communication gap between members and the leadership. And that communication gap has been properly bridged at the executive session."

Representative Dino Melaye (ANPP, Kogi State) who brought the issue before the House on Wednesday however objected to the manner in which the issues were addressed.

He said it was wrong to have allowed Bankole to preside over the session to provide his explanations.

Melaye and some other members had equally opposed the idea of allowing the Speaker to offer his explanations behind closed doors.

Another lawmaker, Independence Ogunewe (PDP, Imo State) who refused to give in details about happenings in the executive session, simply told journalists that it was the tax-payers that would suffer the consequences of the resolutions of the House on the matter.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, who briefed journalists on the resolutions, stated that after Bankole's explanations, it was discovered that the financial crisis being faced was only temporary, adding that the hitches being experienced with the bankers of the House would soon be resolved.

Meanwhile, a group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), yesterday petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) requesting the anti-graft agency to "urgently begin a thorough, transparent and efficient investigation into allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the N10 billion loan obtained by the leadership of the House of Representatives on behalf of the House, and to bring to justice suspected perpetrators and recover the stolen public funds."

In the May 12, 2011 petition signed by SERAP's Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the group said: "We are seriously concerned that the fresh allegations are coming against the background of previous allegations of corruption, including the purchase of vehicles at N2.3b by the House of Representatives in 2008.

"We are also concerned that the above allegations constitute grave breaches of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act of 2000; the Public Procurement Act 2007, and the UN Convention Against Corruption which Nigeria has ratified. Specifically, the UN Convention Against Corruption requires states parties, including Nigeria, to promote integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs.

"Effective investigation and prosecution of the fresh allegations alongside the previous allegations of corruption in the House of Representatives would help to address impunity of perpetrators, which is the single most important factor for the prevalence of high level official corruption in the country. Such impunity can be interpreted as the existence of interference of politicians to protect suspected perpetrators from prosecution.

"Addressing high level official corruption effectively would also help to reduce or eliminate low level corruption among public servants in the country."

The group also expressed "concern that allegations of corruption by lawmakers would undermine the credibility of the legislative process, and impede the ability of the current or future House of Representatives to effectively play its constitutional oversight role or to provide the necessary leadership in the anti-corruption fight.   The allegations also amount to a grave breach of constitutional provisions and would undermine the constitutional role of the House of Representatives to make laws for the good and development of the country."

It added: "Parties must take measures to preserve the integrity of accounting books, records, financial statements or other documents related to public expenditure and revenue, and to prevent the falsification of such documents.  The convention also prohibits the abuse of functions or position, and imposes clear obligations on Nigeria to investigate allegations of corruption such as the present one; prosecute suspected perpetrators and ensure return and repatriation of proceeds of corruption."

The group therefore asked the ICPC to:

• Fully and transparently investigate the allegations of corruption highlighted above, and to make public the stage of its investigation of the allegation of corruption in the N10 billion loan obtained by the leadership of the House of Representatives.

• Make public the findings of its investigation into the fresh allegations, and all the previous allegations of corruption in the House of Representatives;

• Ensure the recovery of any money that is the subject of corruption, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice.

Source: Outrage as Bankole admits Reps owe banks N10b