The House of Representatives’ ad hoc Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness has dismissed the denial by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that he is not culpable in the alleged N33bn embezzlement in a presidential intervention programme for the North-East.

Chairman of the committee, Mr Ali Isa (APC, Gombe State), who addressed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, insisted that Osinbajo, being the chairman of the programme and the one who issued directives leading to the release of funds, had questions to answer.



The House of Representatives had indicted the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Mustapha Maihaja, over alleged embezzlement of funds in excess of N33bn under his watch.

Osinbajo was also indicted for allegedly approving N5.8bn North-East Intervention Fund, which the House claimed was illegal.

Osinbajo had dismissed the allegation, stating that the government was obliged to make an emergency response to the humanitarian crisis in the geopolitical zone.

Speaking on Tuesday, Isa however said, “We are talking about the N5.8bn and N3.1bn. On this issue of the releases, the approval was given by the Vice-President; he was the Acting President then. And the money was removed from the Eurobond. In our submission (report), there was nowhere the committee mentioned either Vice-President or Prof. Osinbajo. But what I also know is that he is the Chairman of the Governing Council of NEMA. So, if he knows something that I don’t know, his office may be able to respond to some of the issues.”

Asked to state if Osinbajo had questions to answer based on the evidence before the committee, Isa said, “Yes of course, he has questions to answer. There are a lot of issues that have been raised. Even during the investigations, you are aware that the committee sent an invitation letter to him, but later on he directed someone to represent him, who was the DG (of NEMA). So, definitely, there are a lot of issues.”

He added, “The Director of Finance and other (members of) staff of the agency suspended after testifying before the committee, we were informed that the governing council of NEMA that had not been in existence for a number of years was hurriedly inaugurated my the Acting President, and the same people were suspended to jeopardise the House from getting some of the information.”

Isa denied that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, or any leader of the lower chamber had vested interests in the probe. He noted that the panel chose to broadcast its investigative hearings live as the executive also allegedly sponsored media adverts to fault the exercise.

Isa also raised a series of posers, which he challenged the Presidency to respond to.

He said, “Is it true that they voted N1.6bn for flood intervention fund in June? If they say yes, is it true that some states got their intervention in March and April 2017? Is that right? These are the issues. Is it true that Chinese government also donated 6,779 metric tons of rice, which is about 165, 000 bags of rice? Is it true that the rice arrived in Lagos from June 2017? Is it true that it took them about nine months to start clearing the items? If they feel it is right and that is how they run their government they can also enlighten Nigerians more.”

The lawmaker showed journalists a letter by the former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, directing the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to release N5.8bn to NEMA and other five companies.

He said, “One, this money was released from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, from the Eurobond approved by the National Assembly. As the approval stated – it is not from me, it is from her (Adeosun), the Minister of Finance, it is herein stated that his money should be paid directly to the said companies without signing any agreement with the companies, without giving them award letter, without any procurement process. Money was paid into their accounts.”

Showing another document, the lawmaker said, “This is also an approval from the VP to the Minister for the release of the said money. And when the committee tried to find out about what happened with the procurement, everybody transferred blame.

When we asked the Accountant General, ‘before you made the payments, can you provide some details about that,’ he directed that he should ask NEMA to give us copies of award letters.

“When we asked NEMA, NEMA said we should ask the governing council; that it was directed by the governing council, that they were only paid over N800m and the other N5bn was paid directly to the companies on the directives from ‘above.’”

Osinbajo however on Friday faulted the report in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande.

Akande explained that the period in question was a time when Internally Displaced Persons and their host communities faced severe food shortages throughout the North-East, as a result of successive poor harvests and abandoned farmlands, minimal cross-border cash crop trade and lost economic opportunities.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

"....It is not from me, it is from her (Adeosun), the Minister of Finance, it is herein stated that his money should be paid directly to the said companies without signing any agreement with the companies, without giving them award letter, without any procurement process. Money was paid into their accounts.”

And when the committee tried to find out about what happened with the procurement, everybody transferred blame.

“When we asked NEMA, NEMA said we should ask the governing council; that it was directed by the governing council, that they were only paid over N800m and the other N5bn was paid directly to the companies on the directives from ‘above.’”