Lagos Speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday explained the main reasons it had not set up an investigation panel to probe allegations of N7 billion financial scam and perjury, which a civil rights group called Kick against Corruption brought against its Speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
Deputy Speaker, Hon. Taiwo Kolawole disclosed this at a news conference he addressed at the assembly’s complex in Alausa, alongside other principal officers, that the group did not formally petition the assembly, a reason he said the speaker could not have been investigated.
Kolawole added that the leadership of the assembly had also sought the service of a United States-based investigation firm, Business Consulting & Investigations Inc. to probe into alleged credit card scams brought against Ikuforiji, the report of which cleared the speaker.
Based on the investigation report, the deputy speaker, who was flanked by the House Majority Leader, Hon. Dayo Adeyeye and Chief Whip, Hon. Rasaq Balogun, explained that a US District Court at the County of Hennepin, Minnesota had exonerated the speaker.
In a US court decision, the court ordered that the judgment against Ikuforiji in the amount of $22,731.01 in favour of Columbia Credit Services Inc “is hereby vacated. Upon the vacation, the matter is dismissed with prejudice and without an award of costs or attorney fees to any party.”
Kolawole said the petition against Ikuforiji was directed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stating that the Assembly “must be petitioned before it can set up an investigation panel. There is a process that must be followed before a probe panel can be set up.”
He explained that if the petition “is forwarded to the assembly, we will do something about it. But the petition is addressed to the EFCC. We believe the EFCC is the right body to investigate all the allegations the group brought against the speaker. We should be patient.”
Giving more insight into why the assembly has not set up the investigation panel, the house leader added that the allegations brought against Ikuforiji “were frivolous,” stating that the assembly could not definitely continue to take all the allegations brought before it.
Adeyeye said the assembly “will not be able to do other things if it constitutes probe panels on every allegation. Lagos residents should be patient with the EFCC. We are all subject to the commission, and the commission is free to invite any member. We are ready to cooperate.”
Speaking at the conference, Balogun, who is the Assembly Chief Whip, openly said there was no need for the speaker to step aside until the EFCC completed its investigation into the use of N7 billion running cost disbursed to the Assembly within a period of 14 months.
According to the chief whip, the entire lawmakers have implicit confidence. We know the speaker has no immunity. There is no need to ask the speaker to step aside. As we have said, we have confidence in his leadership. The allegations against him are baseless.
Kolawole therefore described all the allegations against the speaker as false, untrue and unfounded, though acknowledged that the assembly “collects a running cost of N500 million monthly. The monthly running cost covers entire expenditure of the assembly comprising the elected legislators and the bureaucracy of over 600 staff members.”
The deputy speaker also said the running cost “includes sundry items such as travels, training (both local and overseas), office running and maintenance, vehicles, entertainment, publicity, security, protocols, logistics and administrative costs among others.”
He rhetorically asked if the speaker simply “collects the running cost and diverts it into his private business as alleged, does it mean the assembly has been incapacitated from functioning in the period in question? Since the assembly has been actively carrying out its constitutional functions, how has the assembly been operating within the period?”
Kolawole explained that the assembly became self-accounting and in April 2010 and had not received up to N7 billion at the time of the petition, adding that it “ridiculous for anybody to believe that the speaker collects and personally expends the N500 million monthly running cost”.
He concluded that the lawmakers were mindful of the assembly’s institutional image and integrity, a reason he said the assembly “engaged a certified US-based private outfit to investigate credit card-related allegations, which were found to be absolutely without foundation.”
Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday explained the main reasons it had not set up an investigation panel to probe allegations of N7 billion financial scam and perjury, which a civil rights group called Kick against Corruption brought against its Speaker, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
Deputy Speaker, Hon. Taiwo Kolawole disclosed this at a news conference he addressed at the assembly’s complex in Alausa, alongside other principal officers, that the group did not formally petition the assembly, a reason he said the speaker could not have been investigated.
Kolawole added that the leadership of the assembly had also sought the service of a United States-based investigation firm, Business Consulting & Investigations Inc. to probe into alleged credit card scams brought against Ikuforiji, the report of which cleared the speaker.
Based on the investigation report, the deputy speaker, who was flanked by the House Majority Leader, Hon. Dayo Adeyeye and Chief Whip, Hon. Rasaq Balogun, explained that a US District Court at the County of Hennepin, Minnesota had exonerated the speaker.
In a US court decision, the court ordered that the judgment against Ikuforiji in the amount of $22,731.01 in favour of Columbia Credit Services Inc “is hereby vacated. Upon the vacation, the matter is dismissed with prejudice and without an award of costs or attorney fees to any party.”
Kolawole said the petition against Ikuforiji was directed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stating that the Assembly “must be petitioned before it can set up an investigation panel. There is a process that must be followed before a probe panel can be set up.”
He explained that if the petition “is forwarded to the assembly, we will do something about it. But the petition is addressed to the EFCC. We believe the EFCC is the right body to investigate all the allegations the group brought against the speaker. We should be patient.”
Giving more insight into why the assembly has not set up the investigation panel, the house leader added that the allegations brought against Ikuforiji “were frivolous,” stating that the assembly could not definitely continue to take all the allegations brought before it.
Adeyeye said the assembly “will not be able to do other things if it constitutes probe panels on every allegation. Lagos residents should be patient with the EFCC. We are all subject to the commission, and the commission is free to invite any member. We are ready to cooperate.”
Speaking at the conference, Balogun, who is the Assembly Chief Whip, openly said there was no need for the speaker to step aside until the EFCC completed its investigation into the use of N7 billion running cost disbursed to the Assembly within a period of 14 months.
According to the chief whip, the entire lawmakers have implicit confidence. We know the speaker has no immunity. There is no need to ask the speaker to step aside. As we have said, we have confidence in his leadership. The allegations against him are baseless.
Kolawole therefore described all the allegations against the speaker as false, untrue and unfounded, though acknowledged that the assembly “collects a running cost of N500 million monthly. The monthly running cost covers entire expenditure of the assembly comprising the elected legislators and the bureaucracy of over 600 staff members.”
The deputy speaker also said the running cost “includes sundry items such as travels, training (both local and overseas), office running and maintenance, vehicles, entertainment, publicity, security, protocols, logistics and administrative costs among others.”
He rhetorically asked if the speaker simply “collects the running cost and diverts it into his private business as alleged, does it mean the assembly has been incapacitated from functioning in the period in question? Since the assembly has been actively carrying out its constitutional functions, how has the assembly been operating within the period?”
Kolawole explained that the assembly became self-accounting and in April 2010 and had not received up to N7 billion at the time of the petition, adding that it “ridiculous for anybody to believe that the speaker collects and personally expends the N500 million monthly running cost”.
He concluded that the lawmakers were mindful of the assembly’s institutional image and integrity, a reason he said the assembly “engaged a certified US-based private outfit to investigate credit card-related allegations, which were found to be absolutely without foundation.”
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