The House of Representatives vowed in September to launch a probe into the activities of one of its investigative ad hoc committe after a PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed that the committee was extorting and receiving bribes from government institutions it was investigating.
After several weeks of vowing to launch a probe into the activities of its ad hoc committe accused of corruption, the House of Representatives has kept mum or yet to take any steps on the matter.
Following a painstaking investigation, PREMIUM TIMES, between August and September, published a series of reports exposing how members of the House's ad hoc committee set up to probe job racketeering, of intimidating and extorting ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government under the guise of investigating corruption in recruitment of personnel.
The committee was chaired by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), a former speakership aspirant.
The reports revealed how the unscrupulous panel set up a sophisticated bribery scheme, using the unregulated Bureau de Change system to receive bribes from heads of MDAs in exchange for a soft landing.
During the investigation, this paper secured evidence on the scandal, revealing a direct link to the committee--specifically, Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun), who coordinated the bribery scheme.
The reports provided the bank account used, and the name of the BDC outlets.
Furthermore, the bribery story was corroborated by the owner of the BDC, Abubakar Sambo, who confirmed that, indeed, the lawmakers deceived him to use his outfit to move illicit funds.
Before the publication of the report, PREMIUM TIMES had contacted the House, through its spokesperson, Akin Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), for reaction.
He asked this paper to help with evidence, but we urged him to read the reports to get all the evidence for the House to launch an investigation.
He, therefore, promised that the lower chamber would commence the investigation as soon as evidence was provided.
"But the least that you can do for me is the phone number that sent the account number and the account number. What you are doing--both of us--is in the interest of the Nigerian people, you guys in the media and for those of us in the House.
"To aid our own investigation, I am going to take it up with the leadership of the House and the chairman of the committee," Mr Rotimi said at the time.
Following the first report on 29 August and the public outrage over the stinking revelations on the activities of the panel, Mr Rotimi issued another statement, saying that the "House has resolved to investigate the matter."
The statement, however, appeared vague because it lacked specific details on how the lower chamber intended to investigate the matter. Instead, it asked "the members of the public, and any of the affected government entities with evidence related to the allegations, to approach the House for necessary action."
If anything, the statement by Mr Rotimi showed that the lawmakers were not keen about the investigation, because, in the same statement, the spokesperson still defended the committee despite the evidence contained in the report.
Worried about the attitude of the House, PREMIUM TIMES petitioned the ICPC, and unlike the lawmakers, the anti-graft agency has since commenced investigation of the matter using the evidence provided in the report.
No action after recess
This newspaper broke the story while the House was on a month-long recess. Thus, it was expected that it would launch an investigation upon resumption.
However, when it resumed 26 September, the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, did not raise the issue in his welcome remarks and no announcement was made about investigating the committee as promised.
The House has sat four times since resumption, yet there are still no indications that it harbours any plan to probe the scandal, despite ICPC's action.
Procedure for internal probe
The standing committee empowered to investigate any lawmaker or a committee is the Committee on Ethics and Privilege, chaired by Garba Inuwa (PDP, Gombe).
The ethics committee has the jurisdiction that covers measures relating to the code of conduct of members, and enforcing the provision of the code of conduct manual.
However, it cannot commence an investigation unless a complaint is submitted to it. No such complaint has been brought before the ethics committee.
In the past, points of privilege had to be raised on the floor of the House before a member could be referred to the committee for investigation.
According to order 18(7(4) of the standing rule of the House, a member of the House can write a complaint to the ethics and privileges committee.
What is surprising about this silence from the House on this bribery scandal is that in the past, it had used the committee on ethics and privileges to go after media houses for publishing stories they deemed not to be accurate.
In 2020, for instance, the ethics committee summoned several media organisations for publishing a statement by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) over the alleged collection of $10 million for the passage of the Infectious Disease Bill.
Equally, the committee had been used to go after members for sharing views considered to be offensive to the leadership.
Only last week, Solomon Bob (PDP, Rivers) was threatened with suspension for daring to say "I am disappointed in the presiding officer".
Curiously, the House has refused to take action against the committee at the centre of the bibery sandal.
When on Monday this reporter asked Mr Rotimi via a WhatsApp message about the status of the investigation the House promised, he did not respond.
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Ad hoc committee member speaks
When approached by PREMIUM TIMES, a member of the job racketeering committee, Clement Jimbo, said he would only react if the committee's final report does not reflect the collective resolution of members.
"If we present our report and if it does not reflect what even the media has been telling the public, of course, the entire image of the 10th Assembly would be called into question. And Clement Jimbo would not, with all due respect to the National Assembly, allow my name to be taken through the mud.
"Except the report is going to be prepared in oblivion, because as members of the committee, the draft of the report, we are going to collectively sit and draft the report. We are going to collectively sit and then go through the report and our input would also be there. And that is what would form the final copy, the clean copy that would be presented to the assembly, to the speaker.
"Upon resumption. What would be presented to, maybe, the speaker during plenary would be a collective reflection of what we have all agreed and I can tell you that from the investigation, the findings and testimonies that we have gathered so far, our report would reflect all that," he said.
The committee has yet to present its report even though it has exceeded the deadline of the first week of September the speaker had initially set for all committees to turn in their reports.
