Asked if Osinbajo has a case to answer in the alleged infractions in NEMA, the lawmaker replied: “Yes. He does have questions to answer.”
Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives yesterday insisted that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has a case to answer in respect to alleged infractions in the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Chairman of the Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Emergency, Ali J.C. Isa, disclosed this when he spoke with National Assembly Correspondents on reactions trailing the House’s resolutions on NEMA.
Last week, the House adopted the committee’s report on its investigation on alleged breach of public trust in NEMA.
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The House, among others things, resolved “that all government officials involved in the approval, processing, release and diversion of the sum of N5.8 billion for emergency intervention of food security in the Northeast, which contravened the provisions of section 80 (2) of the Constitution, infraction of due process for procurement and loss of government revenue, flouting of the terms of the Eurobond loan are hereby indicted and the relevant security agencies should take steps to recover the money from them.”
Asked if Osinbajo has a case to answer in the alleged infractions in NEMA, the lawmaker replied: “Yes. He does have questions to answer.”
He said apart from being chairman of NEMA Governing Council, which took decisions on the issues investigated by the committee, Osinbajo, as acting president (at the time), also approved expenditure of N5.8 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund as intervention to NEMA, without recourse to the National Assembly.
Besides, Isa added that documents before the panel indicated that the NEMA board, which the vice president chairs, authorised payment of N5 billion into bank accounts of companies, for the purchase of relief materials, without following due process, as contained in the Procurement Act.
He said: “Let me clarify. We are talking about the N5.8 billion and N3.1 billion. On the issue of releases, the approval was given by the VP, when he was acting president and the money was removed from the Eurobond.
“But, in our submissions, there was no where I or the committee mentioned, specifically the VP Professor Osinbajo. What I also know is that he is the chairman of the governing council of NEMA. So, if he knows that that there is something that I didn’t know, his office may be able to respond to some of the issues.. I have documents from CBN stating that N5.8 billion be paid directly to the said companies, without signing any agreement with the companies, without any award letters; without any procurement processes…”