Reps To Probe Alleged Infractions In NDDC, NBET

The House of Representatives on Tuesday vowed to investigate alleged infractions contained in a six-year audit report on the Niger Delta Development Commission and the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc.

The report on the NDDC was from 2013 to 2018 while that on the NBET was from 2017 to 2019. Both were submitted by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts.

The chairman of the committee, Wole Oke, told reporters in Abuja that the committee would give the reports accelerated deliberations when the House resumes from its annual recess in September.

In the queries, the NDDC is to, among other things, explain the alleged payment of N459.350m as medical check-up expenses to part-time board members, payment of N1.358bn as imprest to executive board members, engagement and payment of N1.58bn to external solicitors without the consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation, award of N3.001bn emergency contracts, payment of N698.1m to some retired generals for regional security surveillance on projects.

Other alleged infractions in the report included payment of N2.5bn for the supply of 3,852 doses of Hepatitis B vaccines and 1570 doses of Typhoid vaccines and supply of Lassa fever kits to NDDC warehouse in Port Harcourt and distribution, transportation and storage was queried by the Auditor General.

Similarly, the committee received from the Auditor-General, the report querying the NBET on non-submission of annual audited financial statements for six years 2014 to 2019.

Reps Speaker, Gbajabiamila To Face Impeachment Over ‘Infectious Disease Control Bill’

Nigerian Pilot reliably gathered that the recent face-off between the leadership of the House led by Gbajabiamila, the state governors and former Speaker of the House and now governor of Sokoto state, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal may cause Gbajabiamila his seat if not properly handled.

According to the source, the governors who are allegedly not happy with the way the House of Representatives responded to their advice that the Infectious Disease Control Bill be “stepped down” until proper consultations are made, are mobilising against the Speaker who is the lead sponsor of the Bill.

The source further disclosed that the governors at a recent meeting in Abuja had “secretly” agreed to push for the Speaker’s impeachment through their various representatives at the green chamber.

He said some of the governors openly accused the Speaker of being “arrogant” in his approach to “national issues” a development they said should be checked to maintain the cordial relationship between the Legislature and the Executive.

Speaking further, the source stated the governor of Sokoto state, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal’s loyalists who felt slighted that the governor was accused of misleading and misguiding other members of the Governors Forum are also “spoiling for war”.

He said some members of the House already have grudges against the Speaker over allegation of overbearing especially in handling the donation to the fight against the coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

It was also alleged that the Speaker has been making frantic efforts to get his political godfather to rally the governors to shelve their plans and create an avenue for dialogue.

It would be recalled that the governors operating under the aegis of Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF had recently urged the National Assembly to step down the proposed Infectious Disease Control Bill, 2020 introduced by the House of Representatives until an appropriate consultative process is held.

Chairman of the Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi who is also the Governor of Ekiti state had in Communiqué at the end of the Forum’s eight teleconference meeting added that the consultation must include a public hearing to gather public opinion and concerns on the proposed Bill.

However, responding to the advice by the Governor’s Forum, the House of Representatives said it does not legislate for the states and therefore should not be “cowed” from doing its Constitutional responsibility.

The spokesman of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu in a statement regretted that Hon. Aminu Tambuwal who is a former Speaker of the House stood a better position to rightly inform the Governors Forum but failed to do so.

Hon. Kalu went ahead to call for the disqualification of Tambuwal who is also the Governor of Sokoto state from a proposed consultative meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum accusing him of being biased towards the Infectious Disease Control Bill insisting that Tambuwal misled and misguided the Forum into asking the House to step down the Bill.

“We assume that his position was informed by his well-known personal and partisan opposition to the emergence of the current leadership of House led by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila considering his obvious stance in 2015 and 2019,” he stated.