CSO tackles Reps over N81.2bn spent by agency to plant 21m trees

A Civil Society Organisation, Budget Implementation, Assessment, Evaluation and Monitoring Committee has faulted the House of Representatives over claims that the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) spent N81.2 billion to plant 21millin trees. Mr Ogakwu Dominic, Coordinator of the CSO dismissed the claims while briefing newsmen in Abuja. The Ad hoc Committee probing the utilisation of ecological funds released to NAGGW had uncovered N81.2 billion allegedly spent to plant 21m trees in 11 states. Domini said the claim by the committee was lacking in merit, adding that part of its engagement with the agency was continuous monitoring and evaluation of all the agency’s activities. This according to him include zonal intervention projects and all constituency projects of the national assembly domiciled in the NAGGW. Dominic said the amount was not only for planting of trees, adding that it was meant for other issues in line with the responsibility of the agency. According to him, the agency has a unique mandate which is transforming Nigerian Drylands through an aggressive and robust tree-planting campaign program. He said it became imperative to check out facts to avoid a misrepresentation that could be antithetical to the achievements of the agency’s set goals. He said , Mr Yusuf Bukar, the Director General of the agency is transparent in all the activities of the agency under his watch. “In its accountability in service, the agency has promoted local, national, and international conferences that champion the cause of planting many trees,. This according to him had created a green society that brought about ecological advantage and also saved the lives of the country’s ecological habitats. He said this had promoted the United Nation habitant agenda and climate policy of the UN, this according to him include: the Bonny Island Green Wall Development Programme Others are: the Northern Sahara Desert Great Green Wall Programme to mention a few. 11 states where the trees were said to have been planted are: Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno.

Job Racketeering: ICPC begins investigation of bribery allegation against Reps C’ttee

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced investigation into bribery allegations against the House of Representatives Committee on job racketeering and gross mismanagement in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson for ICPC, said this in a statement at the weekend in Abuja.Ogugua said that the ICPC received petitions from an online medium, Premium Times Nigeria; and Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Chairman of the ad hoc committee, to investigate bribery allegations against the probe panel. The online medium published a story alleging that some members of the committee requested vice chancellors and heads of tertiary institutions to pay certain amounts to an account as bribes. The story also claimed that the account was dedicated for the purpose of giving a soft landing to any institutions’ that would pay the bribe money into it during the investigation. Members of the committee were also said to have engaged in extortion from heads of MDAs, including those of academic institutions. On Thursday, Gagdi had had said the committee wrote to ICPC to investigate the allegations of bribery and extortion against the members of the committee. The chairman said that the committee had written to ICPC to investigate the account number allegedly released to heads of tertiary institutions for payment of the bribe. “I have already written to the ICPC to investigate the account number that was published by an online medium the owner of that account, whether there is any transaction by vice chancellors and rectors of polytechnic in the country.” Gagdi threatened that the committee would take legal action against the online medium over the publication, which aim, he said, was to “blackmail and discredit” the committee. 

NUC, VCs deny bribery allegation against Reps C’ttee

The National Universities Commission (NUC) and Committee of Vice Chancellors (VCs) have denied bribery and extortion allegations against the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing job racketeering and mismanagement of IPPIS in MDAs. Prof. Chris Maiyaki, the acting Executive Secretary, NUC, and Prof. Isiah Tanko, the VC of University of Jos, denied the allegation as reported by an online medium. They denied the report attributed to them when they jointly appeared before the committee in Abuja on Friday. Speaking on the issue as reported by the medium which alleged that the committee collected money from NUC and VCs for soft-landing over the probe, the NUC official said the report was baseless. According to him, the publication is regrettable, whatever the substance is, we wish that this does not impugn the partnership we have with the lawmakers which we should be promoting. Maiyaki said the universities occupied a special place in the life of any nation, advising that the lawmakers and the universities should come together to create a game changer for the country. On his part, Tanko, who represented Prof. Lilian Salami, the Chairman of the Committee of VCs, said they read the publication, but added that the VCs were not part of the allegation. “We read the disturbing publication and I can say that the VCs were not part of that and we did not provide any bribe to anybody, “We all dispersed from the committee investigative hearing as soon as we finished the last time we appeared before you,” said the representatives of the VCs. Maiyaki stressed that: “Soliciting money for bribes is out of contest and not true, the reporter did not find out the fact. We have hope and confidence in this ad hoc committee.” He said more than five programmes of University of Jos were in danger of being dis-accredited because of lack of manpower, adding “we were looking up to the committee to correct that”. The Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, however noted that the publication was a sponsored to divert the attention of the members from finding out the deep-rooted evil that existed in public sectors. “It is not even our mandate to investigate the publication by Premium Times, but to investigate alleged racketeering in MDAs. “The investigating authorities like the ICPC and EFCC have been given the mandate to investigate those allegations and the account number,” he said. 

Reps to probe illegal helicopters’ sale by NCAT

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has resolved to probe alleged sales of two training helicopters by the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State. The Committee Chairman, Hon. Ademorin Kuye said this in a statement in Abuja on Monday. The chairman said the committee attention was drawn to the development through media reports on July 30, 2023, on the purported sale of 2 Bell 206L-3 helicopters. He said the helicopters were public assets acquired for training pilots by the NCAT for N1.2 billion. “The Sale of the helicopters under the pretext of under-utilisation by the authorities of the College of Aviation in March 2023 has now become a symptom of the worrying trend of asset stripping.” This according to him cut across all sectors of the economy by all MDAs toward the twilight of the last administration. “This is in spite the offer of Nigerian Navy to acquire same and possibly use to address the security challenge facing the country in the area of oil pipeline vandalisation and crude oil theft.” He said the committee equally felt the assets could have been converted to the use of Nigerian Police to fight banditry and insurgency in the country. He said the urgency in the sales and concession of public assets at the twilight of the last administration called for suspicion since the supposed approval was gotten from that administration. He said it was only right that the new administration is allowed to be part of the completion of the sale process if there were no hidden agenda. He said the committee would investigate the sale of those important training national assets to ensure that due process was followed and that the country was not shortchanged in the deal. The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State, had said it auctioned two helicopters at 556,200,322USD (₦1.2 billion), because of under-utilisation. The Rector and Chief Executive Officer of the institution, Capt. Alkali Modibbo, told newsmen on Sunday in Zaria that the two Bell 206B – III model helicopters were disposed after satisfying all due diligence. Modibbo explained that a Federal Government licenced auctioneer, Messrs Tresmo Nigeria Limited, was appointed to dispose the affected helicopters sequel to the approval and valuation reports obtained from the Federal Ministries of Aviation and Works, respectively. According to him, the auctioneer paid $275,782,661.25 and $280,417,661.25 (totalling ₦1.2bn) vide FGN Remita receipts bearing reference numbers 3008-4333-3046 and 1008-4304-1098, accordingly.

Auctioning of FG’s Properties: Reps to probe NPA, NIMASA, others

The House of Representatives has resolved to probe what it regards as the illegal auctioning of Federal Government properties by the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Others agencies allegedly involved are: the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) River Basin Development Authority (RBDA) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) This is sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Rep. Oluwole Oke (PDP-Osun) during plenary on Thursday in Abuja. In his motion, Oke said the procedure for the disposal and auctioning of government assets in Nigeria was well spelled out in Financial Regulations, 2009 and Public Procurement Act 2007 among others. Oke said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that all revenues realised from the disposal or auctioning of public property be remitted into the Consolidated Revenue Fund. He alleged that NPA, NIMASA, NRC, NCS and others RBDA had been auctioning public property not only at a ridiculous price but also without following due process. He advanced that partial remittance or non-remittance of revenue realised from the auctioning of public property into consolidated revenue fund was a breach of the constitution. He expressed concerned that if the practice continued, coupled with dwindling crude oil revenue in Nigeria, the government might not cope with the rising demand for accelerated infrastructure Following his submission, the House thereafter resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the disposal of public property by the affected agencies. This, according to the House, would cover the period between 2010 and 2022 with a view to establishing the extent of the alleged illegal auctioning of public property and the non-remittance of revenue realised into the consolidated revenue purse. The committee would report to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.