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Members of the House of Representatives on Friday passed a vote of confidence in the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal.
The development put to rest the speculation that the $3m bribery scandal involving Mr. Farouk Lawan and oil businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola, would be used as a springboard to impeach Tambuwal.
Otedola had accused Lawan, who chaired the ad hoc committee of the House on the fuel subsidy regime, of demanding $3m bribes from him.
Out of the amount, he said he had already paid the first instalment of $620,000 to Lawan and the secretary of the panel, Mr. Boniface Emenalo.
Lawan, who is now a guest of the police, had admitted taking the money, but claimed that he wanted to use it to expose Otedola.
He alleged that Otedola offered the bribe to secure a soft-landing for Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd., a firm which allegedly participated in the fuel subsidy scheme.
The House had summoned an emergency session on Friday to take a clear position on the scandal.
In a motion by the Chief Whip, Mr. Isiaka Bawa, the House noted that the members were worried over the bribery allegation and the “public concern generated by same.”
Bawa added that the allegation could adversely affect the “integrity of the ad hoc committee’s report if not thoroughly investigated.”
The lawmakers immediately resolved to relief Lawan and Emenalo of their positions as chairman and secretary respectively of the committee.
A member of the panel and chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. John Enoh, was directed to head the committee.
The House mandated the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the bribery allegation against Lawan and “report back to members within two weeks upon resumption from the current recess of the House.”
The House resolved to “support and encourage the investigations already being undertaken by the relevant security and anti-graft agencies.”
The earlier decision of April 24 deleting Zenon Oil & Gas and Synopsis Enterprises from the list of firms that took FOREX was rescinded by the House on Friday.
The ad hoc committee had recommended the investigation of the firms by the anti-graft agencies “with a view to verifying what they used the FOREX for.”
After Lawan had applied for the removal of the oil firms’ names from the list on April 24, the House obliged his request.
However, in the light of the bribery allegation, the House rescinded its decision and reverted to the original recommendation by the ad hoc committee.
Lawan, who also heads the standing Committee on Education, was suspended from the headship of the committee pending the outcome of the investigation.
Emenalo was referred the bureaucracy of the National Assembly for investigation and appropriate punishment in line with extant civil service rules.
The House called on President Goodluck Jonathan and anti-graft agencies to “proceed with the implementation of the House’s resolution on the fuel subsidy regime investigation already communicated to them.”
Tambuwal received a standing ovation from members at Friday’s session after they endorsed a proposal to pass a vote of confidence in his leadership.
The Minority Whip, Mr. Sampson Osagie, made the proposal in the course of his contribution to debate on Lawan’s case.
Osagie argued that Lawan’s involvement in the alleged bribery was an individual matter, which must not be interpreted as a House issue or a failure of its leadership.
He added, “If a member commits an offence, it is not the entire House but it is that individual who must be called to account.
“The crisis affecting Lawan should not have happened; it is unfortunate that it happened.
“However, as a House, we will refuse to be blackmailed by the resort to security agencies just to score a point.”
Osagie stated that the manner in which security agencies were used in a sting operation against Lawan suggested desperation on the part of the executive in its bid to rubbish the legislature.
Osagie proposed, “The House do hereby pass a vote of confidence in (Speaker Aminu) Tambuwal.”
The resolution was unanimously adopted without a dissenting voice, while all the members gave Tambuwal a standing ovation.
Addressing lawmakers after the resolutions were passed, Tambuwal recalled that he had consistently warned them to be aware of the hazards of their duties as legislators.
According to him, for lawmakers to effectively perform the constitutional duty of exposing corruption, they must be above board at all times.
He noted that those to be investigated would set traps for the investigators just to score a point and frustrate the anti-corruption war.
He said, “I wish at this point to make this pledge that the House of Representatives shall continue to act responsibly by ensuring that all investigations are instituted only when absolutely necessary.
“Furthermore, we shall insist on probity and fairness on the part of our members conducting such investigations; and we shall not hesitate to sanction anyone who, in the course of these investigations, overreaches himself or uses the process to intimidate anyone or engages in corruption.”
The Speaker, however, said that the allegation against Lawan must not be used as an excuse by the executive not to implement the subsidy report.
Tambuwal insisted that the report should be investigated to send the message that Nigeria was indeed committed to fighting corruption.
The chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Adeola Solomon, applauded the House for taking a clear position on the corruption allegation.
Commenting on why the ad hoc committee was not dissolved, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, explained that the bribery allegation was against one member and not the entire committee.
The development put to rest the speculation that the $3m bribery scandal involving Mr. Farouk Lawan and oil businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola, would be used as a springboard to impeach Tambuwal.
Otedola had accused Lawan, who chaired the ad hoc committee of the House on the fuel subsidy regime, of demanding $3m bribes from him.
Out of the amount, he said he had already paid the first instalment of $620,000 to Lawan and the secretary of the panel, Mr. Boniface Emenalo.
Lawan, who is now a guest of the police, had admitted taking the money, but claimed that he wanted to use it to expose Otedola.
He alleged that Otedola offered the bribe to secure a soft-landing for Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd., a firm which allegedly participated in the fuel subsidy scheme.
The House had summoned an emergency session on Friday to take a clear position on the scandal.
In a motion by the Chief Whip, Mr. Isiaka Bawa, the House noted that the members were worried over the bribery allegation and the “public concern generated by same.”
Bawa added that the allegation could adversely affect the “integrity of the ad hoc committee’s report if not thoroughly investigated.”
The lawmakers immediately resolved to relief Lawan and Emenalo of their positions as chairman and secretary respectively of the committee.
A member of the panel and chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mr. John Enoh, was directed to head the committee.
The House mandated the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the bribery allegation against Lawan and “report back to members within two weeks upon resumption from the current recess of the House.”
The House resolved to “support and encourage the investigations already being undertaken by the relevant security and anti-graft agencies.”
The earlier decision of April 24 deleting Zenon Oil & Gas and Synopsis Enterprises from the list of firms that took FOREX was rescinded by the House on Friday.
The ad hoc committee had recommended the investigation of the firms by the anti-graft agencies “with a view to verifying what they used the FOREX for.”
After Lawan had applied for the removal of the oil firms’ names from the list on April 24, the House obliged his request.
However, in the light of the bribery allegation, the House rescinded its decision and reverted to the original recommendation by the ad hoc committee.
Lawan, who also heads the standing Committee on Education, was suspended from the headship of the committee pending the outcome of the investigation.
Emenalo was referred the bureaucracy of the National Assembly for investigation and appropriate punishment in line with extant civil service rules.
The House called on President Goodluck Jonathan and anti-graft agencies to “proceed with the implementation of the House’s resolution on the fuel subsidy regime investigation already communicated to them.”
Tambuwal received a standing ovation from members at Friday’s session after they endorsed a proposal to pass a vote of confidence in his leadership.
The Minority Whip, Mr. Sampson Osagie, made the proposal in the course of his contribution to debate on Lawan’s case.
Osagie argued that Lawan’s involvement in the alleged bribery was an individual matter, which must not be interpreted as a House issue or a failure of its leadership.
He added, “If a member commits an offence, it is not the entire House but it is that individual who must be called to account.
“The crisis affecting Lawan should not have happened; it is unfortunate that it happened.
“However, as a House, we will refuse to be blackmailed by the resort to security agencies just to score a point.”
Osagie stated that the manner in which security agencies were used in a sting operation against Lawan suggested desperation on the part of the executive in its bid to rubbish the legislature.
Osagie proposed, “The House do hereby pass a vote of confidence in (Speaker Aminu) Tambuwal.”
The resolution was unanimously adopted without a dissenting voice, while all the members gave Tambuwal a standing ovation.
Addressing lawmakers after the resolutions were passed, Tambuwal recalled that he had consistently warned them to be aware of the hazards of their duties as legislators.
According to him, for lawmakers to effectively perform the constitutional duty of exposing corruption, they must be above board at all times.
He noted that those to be investigated would set traps for the investigators just to score a point and frustrate the anti-corruption war.
He said, “I wish at this point to make this pledge that the House of Representatives shall continue to act responsibly by ensuring that all investigations are instituted only when absolutely necessary.
“Furthermore, we shall insist on probity and fairness on the part of our members conducting such investigations; and we shall not hesitate to sanction anyone who, in the course of these investigations, overreaches himself or uses the process to intimidate anyone or engages in corruption.”
The Speaker, however, said that the allegation against Lawan must not be used as an excuse by the executive not to implement the subsidy report.
Tambuwal insisted that the report should be investigated to send the message that Nigeria was indeed committed to fighting corruption.
The chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Adeola Solomon, applauded the House for taking a clear position on the corruption allegation.
Commenting on why the ad hoc committee was not dissolved, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, explained that the bribery allegation was against one member and not the entire committee.
Culled from The Punch Nigeria.
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Simply Cheska...
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