Oil merchant Femi Otedola yesterday denied insulting members of the House of Representatives Committee on Ethics and Privileges during a hearing on the bribe-for-clearance scandal.

In a statement issued by his lawyer, Babajide Koku (SAN), Otedola said he was never abusive of anyone. He re-iterated his insistence on his testimony being taken in public.

The businessman said his attention was drawn to reports that the committee’s Chairman, Hon. Gambo Dan-Musa said: “How do you solve a problem when someone refuses to talk?
“He (Otedola) refused to answer our questions and insulted us; it was very s.tupid of him because he was just laughing. He said he was a businessman and not hungry like us. Are we hungry? Is anyone hungry here?”

Otedola said he never used such language.

The statement added: “To set the record straight, Mr. Femi Otedola (CON) at the meeting conducted himself with decorum, was not abusive and at no time in the course of the hearing made any disparaging remarks against any member of the committee.
“The statement of the Honourable Gambo Dan-Musa is, to say the least, unbecoming and underscores manifest bias.
“To reiterate, Mr. Otedola did not refuse to testify before the committee, save that his testimony should be taken in public and not in camera.
“The unfortunate misrepresentation of Mr. Otedola’s comments at the meeting further reinforces his call for a public hearing.”


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