[size=14pt]OIL SUBSIDY SCAM: Probe Aganga, Mukhtar, Dankwambo, Okogu, Otunla, Reps order EFCC •Divided over call for Alison-Madueke’s removal •Culprits won’t go unpunished - FG •PDP backs probe[/size]

Written by Jacob Segun Olatunji, Kolawole Daniel, Ayodele Adesanmi and Leon Usigbe, Abuja Thursday, 26 April 2012

AT the concluded session of the consideration of the report of the Honourable Farouk Lawan-led House of Representatives' ad hoc committee that probed the subsidy regime,

the House, on Wednesday, asked the anti-corruption agencies to investigate and prosecute former ministers of finance, Mr Mansur Mukhtar (2009–2010); Mr Olusegun Aganga (2010–June, 2011), who is now Minister of Trade and Investment.

Others are former Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and current governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo; the present AGF, Mr Jonah Otunla and the Director-General of the Budget Office, Dr Bright Okogu, for an alleged extra-budgetary expenditures under the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) scheme.

The House, in a rowdy and dramatic session, was, however, sharply divided over the continued stay in office of the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison–Madueke.

A lawmaker, Honourable Robinson Uwuak, had through a point of order demanded for the resignation of Mrs Alison-Madueke under whose ministry the whole subsidy scam was perpetrated with reckless abandon, but was overruled by the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, who had earlier asked the lawmaker to approach the chair for consultation.

Despite the consultation, Honourable Uwuak still went ahead to express his reservation for the minister's continued stay in office, the action which received resounding ovation from his colleagues.

At this point, the Deputy House Leader, Honourable Leo Ogor, stood up and asked the House to follow due process, as, according to him, the recommendations of the panel were still being considered.

His statement, however, caused uproar with members shouting,"no! no!! no!!! she must go!."

[size=14pt]Another drama also played out when the current governor of Gombe State, who had served as AGF, was left off the hook over the alleged payment of N999 million 128 times within 24 hours for further investigation by relevant anti-corruption agencies with the name removed and substituted with that of Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agencies (PPPRA).[/size]

This decision was contested by the Minority Leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, but was overruled by the Deputy Speaker.

Before the removal of the governor's name from that particular allegation, Honouorable Lawan, after being recognised to guide the House on the issue, told his colleagues that after the presentation of the panel's report, three letters were received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), PPPRA and the Gombe State governor over the allegation and that it was actually the PPPRA that paid out the alleged sums.

The House also recommended that the accounting firms of Akintola Williams-Deloitte and Olusola Adekanola and partners should be prosecuted and their services should be discontinued with immediate effect for professional negligence in the whole subsidy regime saga.

The House committee chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Honourable Zakari Mohammed, who later briefed newsmen after the adoption of the report, said that the objective of the report was not to harass anybody but to state facts as they were, adding that the House was not playing anybody's script.

He equally said that the report would be sent to President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate, relevant anti-corruption agencies for further actions.

Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi, disclosed, on Wednesday in Abuja that all those found guilty by the House of Representatives probe of the management of the fuel subsidy in the country would not go unpunished.

She added that President Jonathan would not interfere in any way in the outcome of the panel.

Emodi told National Assembly correspondents that “for the fact that Mr President ab initio initiated the move to rid the petroleum industry of the rot because the bane of the society today is maladministration and corruption, especially petroleum industry, the fact that he appointed a person like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to head another panel looking into the rot is a clear manifestation that Mr President is determined to rid the sector of corruption and he is not going to spare anybody. If not, why will he go and appoint Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC chairman who was his rival in the last election?”

“I am very sure that he is not going to spare anybody found wanting. And there are no moves, I am the National Assembly Adviser to the President, any slightest move here, of course, I will be the channel, I can tell you that no move is being made. The president has zero tolerance for corruption.

“The president’s sincere desire of enthroning probity was clearly manifested by his choice of men of integrity to be involved and he did not mind crossing the partisan barrier to get his opponent in the presidential election to lead the investigation.”

According to her, “the issues that led to the investigation predated President Jonathan’s administration. The president is poised to sanitise the oil sector and give it a new breath of life through enhanced probity, transparent governance and zero corruption.

“In fact, such sharp practices in the oil sector were part of the reasons President Jonathan moved against fuel subsidy in the first place. He directed the then Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, to engage an internationally recognised audit company to investigate the rot in the sector and KPMG was retained for the purpose.

“This was overtaken by the more comprehensive industry wide investigation now headed by erstwhile chairman of the EFCC and presidential candidate of the ACN, Nuhu Ribadu. Is this not a clear manifestation of Jonathan’s determination and genuineness to fight corruption and reduce it to zero level?”

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its weight behind the probe of the management of the oil subsidy by the House of Representatives, stressing its resolve to be at the forefront of the fight against corruption in the country.

The support came at the weekly meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC), in Abuja, on Wednesday, where crucial national issues were reviewed.

According to a statement by its national publicity secretary, Chief Olisah Metu, the party resolved that in line with the determination of the Bamanga Tukur-led NWC, it welcomed the probe by the House of Representatives, adding that while the NWC awaited the consummation of all due processes in line with fair hearing, to ensure that only the guilty suffered, the PDP would continue to encourage the National Assembly to take necessary measures that would help stamp out corruption.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/39927-oil-subsidy-scam-probe-aganga-mukhtar-dankwambo-okogu-otunla-reps-order-efcc-divided-over-call-for-alison-maduekes-removal-culprits-wont-go-unpunished-fg-pdp-backs-probe

The Reps need to be probed when their investigation is all concluded.

^^^^Immunity clause na for the Governor abi you don forget. lol

BlackPikiN: ^^^^Immunity clause na for the Governor abi you don forget. lol

The immunity clause is no reason to remove his name. The reps are not going to try or arrest him.
It is wrong for them to remove any name from the list and replace it with PPRA. The governors name should remain alongside PPRA.
These are the people who have been messing up the country. It is noteworthy that the Gombe governor has presidential ambitions; he should be cut off at this level along with EVERY other soiled hand, no matter who they are.

He will be caught. As long as He's involved in the dirty deals in the oil sector.

@ post

Besides reasons were given for his removal:

Before the removal of the governor's name from that particular allegation, Honouorable Lawan, after being recognised to guide the House on the issue, told his colleagues that after the presentation of the panel's report, three letters were received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), PPPRA and the Gombe State governor over the allegation and that it was actually the PPPRA that paid out the alleged sums.


from another source:


The House cleared Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, over the controversial payment of N999m a total of 128 times to “unknown entities” in 2009 as subsidy claims by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Dankwambo was the AGF when the payments were made within 24 hours between January 12 and 13, 2009. The total amount was put at N127.8bn. The report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Monitoring of the Subsidy Regime headed by Mr. Farouk Lawan had recommended that anti-graft agencies should investigate the payments. But, on Wednesday, the House amended the recommendation to indicate that the PPPRA and not the AG’s office should account for the payments.
This followed fresh submissions by Lawan, who said that the PPPRA had owned up to making the payments.
He informed members that the Central Bank of Nigeria, the AGF’s office and the PPPRA, in three separate letters to the Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu
Tambuwal, all admitted that the PPPRA made the payments.
Lawan also cited publications by the PPPRA, where it listed the beneficiaries of the N127.8bn. He explained that the panel made its earlier recommendation because while the investigation was on, the AG’s office was not forthcoming with information on the transactions.
He, however, maintained that the panel considered the “payments to be irregular,” and suggested that the searchlight be turned on the PPPRA by
anti-graft agencies.
The House adopted the amendment, an indication that Dankwambo had been exonerated.