Politics
Missing Billions In Hallowed Chambers
Recently, the six-year old anti-corruption posture of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government took a severe bashing asTransparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report for the 2020 appeared in the public domain.
According to the report, which was published by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and circulated to newsmen, Nigeria ranked 149 out of 183 countries on the Corruption Perception Index for the year 2020 and was the second most corrupt country in the West Africa Sub region, scoring only 25 out of 100 points behind Guinea Bissau with 19 points.
The document which was jointly signed by CISLAC/TI Nigeria, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and BudgIT, read in part: “The 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released globally by Transparency International (TI) today shows that Nigeria, yet again, records a decline in the CPI in 2020.
“Published exclusively in Nigeria by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the National Chapter of TI, the index reveals that Nigeria scored 25 out of 100 points in the 2020 CPI, falling back by one point compared to last year. In the country comparison of this year, Nigeria ranks 149 out of 183 countries, three places down compared to 2019 results,” the report said, adding that “while the index does not show specific incidences of corruption, it is an indication of the perception of the Nigerian public about the state of corruption in the country.”
As if this was not disturbing enough, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) went to town with an open letter, calling on Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila to “use their good offices to urgently probe and refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies allegations that N4.4 billion of public money budgeted for the National Assembly is missing, misappropriated, diverted or stolen, as documented in three audited reports by the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
In the letter dated January 30, 2021, and signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, Deputy Director, SERAP urged the NASS Leadership to exercise strong and effective leadership in the matter in order to “show Nigerians that the legislative body is a proper and accountable watchdog that represents and protects the public interest, and is able to hold both itself and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to account in the management of public resources”.
According to SERAP, “The Auditor-General noted in his 2015 report that the National Assembly account spent N8,800,000.00 as unauthorized overdraft, contrary to Financial Regulations 710. The National Assembly also reportedly spent N115,947,016.00 without any documents. Another N158,193,006.00 spent as cash advances to 17 staff between January and June, 2015, is yet to be retired”.
The vocal civil society body expressed concern that “these allegations of corruption, mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds amount to fundamental breaches of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) and the country’s international obligations, including under the UN Convention Against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.”
Consequently, SERAP warned that “Any failure to promptly, thoroughly and independently investigate these serious allegations, prosecute suspected perpetrators, and recover missing public funds and assets would undermine public trust in the ability of the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure probity, transparency and accountability in management of public funds.”
Describing SERAP’s call for a probe into the alleged missing money at the National Assembly as a welcome development, a Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, Barr Arochukwu Paul Ogbonna urged the civil society group to press forward with their demand until the desired result is achieved.
Barr Ogbonna also urged the leadership of the National Assembly to resist the temptation of sweeping the allegation under the carpet as others in the past but rise to the occasion of being the people’s parliament and beam the searchlight on itself with the intent to clearing itself of complicity and taking up the position to lead, oversight and sanction other arms of government and institutions in the fight against corruption.
“If the Auditor-General which a state institution and the office that looks into government accounts has discovered that there’s a leakage somewhere, and that leakage is traced to the National Assembly, the National Assembly, as the people’s parliament, should look inwards and clear itself and come up with facts and figures accounting for the said amount of money,” he said, warning that “it must not be swept under the carpet.”
Barr Ogbonna who is also the National Coordinator, Civil Rights Council, insisted that the National Assembly which is vested with constitutional powers to probe into corruption allegations, sanction corrupt practices and oversight the activities of other institutions, ministerial departments and agencies of government cannot afford to be enmeshed in corruption itself, if it must continue to enjoy the confidence of the people as their true representatives with the mandate to project and promote their interest, welfare and well being.
“Now, if the parliament that legislates for the Federal Republic of Nigeria is discovered to have misappropriated, diverted or whatever, a whooping sum of N4.4 billion, then the leadership of the National Assembly should come forth to clear its name and should probe itself and make sure that money is accounted for or else SERAP should take every legitimate means to ensure that such developments are curbed, and elements or individuals responsible for the diversion of the money; for the loss of the money; or the misappropriation of the money should be exposed and, very importantly, punished,” he said.
To do otherwise, according to Barr Ogbonna, is to further increase the uncomplimentary image of the federal government as one that has failed or unable to adequately deliver on its lofty promises on anti-corruption.
“The National Assembly is a foremost state institution; it is the people’s parliament; it is the first of the three arms of government”, Barr Ogbonna pointed out, adding that for the federal legislature to appear to condone corruption is to show “that the anti-corruption posturing of the government is nothing but sloganeering of the ruling class; it shows that it is just a mantra-something that is repeated over and over again for its own sake.
“If any house (institution or agency of government) ought to be honourable, just as they are referred to as honourables, it should be the National Assembly. The parliament should be the one to probe the executive and the judiciary should they misappropriate or divert funds.
“So if a whooping sum of N4.4 billion is said to have been lost, misappropriated or stolen from the National Assembly, then the anti-corruption posturing of the government is absolutely nonsense, its’ rubbish and it doesn’t make sense”, he said.
In his own response, a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst, Dr Obidinma Obidinma, told The Tide in Port Harcourt that it was still the responsibility of the Auditor-General’s office to trace the said missing money and come out with the details of when, who and how the monies got missing.
Dr Obidinma said rather than ask the National Assembly to probe itself, all the anti-raft agencies in the country should be directed to move into the National Assembly to investigate the sordid allegation.
“I don’t believe that the National Assembly can probe itself and come out with something reasonable. There is the ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission); there is the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) they should be directed to go into this matter,” he said and urged the presidency to swing into action without further delay.
Dr Obidinma urged the Federal Government to seize the opportunity presented by this revelation to demonstrate its commitment to the fight against corruption and redeem itself, especially, in the face of its latest abysmal ranking in the Corruption Perception Index 2020 recently published by Transparency International.
As the National Assembly resumed plenary this week, Nigerians expect that one of the issues that should be on the front desk of the legislators is how to trace and locate the said missing amount of money within its fold, money that ought to be there to provide education, water, electricity, security and sundry social amenities that would make life more meaningful for the people. Such an exercise will also help the image of the country within the global community.
By: Opaka Dokubo
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has appointed Nigerian music legend, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as TuFace, as his Technical Adviser on Entertainment and Community Outreach.
In a viral video on Wednesday, Governor Alia praised TuFace for all the support towards his administration.
The Governor stated that TuFace can do more.
He stated, “On behalf of the Benue State Government and our very good people, we want to give you some more responsibility plus the ones you have been doing because you have the capacity to do some more and help us chart a way forward to improve other people’s lives and to gain more from your wisdom and advice as well.
“So, I’m pleased to announce that we will make you a Technical Adviser to the Governor on Entertainment and Community Outreach.”
Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The announcement was made following a closed-door meeting at the Government House in Asaba on Wednesday.
The Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, confirmed the development in a telephone conversation with The Tide’s source.
Similarly, the defection of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was announced on Wednesday in Asaba by Senator James Manager, following a meeting that lasted over six hours at the Government House.
Senator Manager said all PDP members in the State, including the Governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, and all local government chairmen, had agreed to join the APC.
“We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat,” he said.
The decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) followed extensive consultations with political stakeholders and was made in the interest of Delta State’s long-term development.
Governor Oborevwori, who won the 2023 gubernatorial election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was received by senior APC officials in what political analysts are already describing as a strategic realignment with far-reaching implications ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria has condemned the recent wave of killings in Plateau, Borno, Benue, Niger State and most recently, Kwara State, calling on the federal and state governments to take urgent steps to stem the tide.
Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Adebo Ogundoyin, stated this in a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Rt Hon. Ogundoyin, who is the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said the gruesome killings had led to tragic loss of lives, widespread displacement, and unimaginable trauma for thousands of Nigerians.
“We are alarmed by the escalating insecurity in the land and the seeming helplessness with which these attacks are met. The time for mere condemnation and rhetoric has passed; urgent and coordinated action is now required at all levels of government to end these bloodbaths and restore peace and order.
“While we acknowledge that defence and national security fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Government, we must stress that every level of government bears responsibility for the security and welfare of the people. State governors, in particular, must rise to the occasion and fully understand that governance is not limited to road construction and ceremonial functions. True governance is rooted in the protection of lives, the preservation of order, and the alleviation of suffering,” he said.
He called on state governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government by making and enforcing enabling laws for community policing and other grassroots-driven security models.
According to him, States must develop proactive frameworks that integrate local intelligence, social support systems, and youth engagement in the fight against insecurity.
The conference also urged the Federal Government to meaningfully engage the citizenry and introduce bold, practical measures to cushion the hardship caused by its current economic policies.
“Millions of Nigerians are groaning under the weight of inflation, unemployment, and a cost-of-living crisis. It is imperative that relief initiatives—targeted, transparent, and impactful—are rolled out without delay. Dialogue, not distance, must define the relationship between the government and its people at this critical time.
“The Conference of Speakers affirms its commitment to supporting all legislative actions necessary to restore security, promote justice, and foster inclusive governance across the country. The killings in Benue, Niger, Plateau, Borno, Kwara, and any part of Nigeria must not be allowed to continue unchecked. Justice must prevail, and peace must be restored.
“Let it be known: the safety, dignity, and well-being of every Nigerian must remain the top priority of all arms and levels of government,” Rt Hon. Ogundoyin said.