GRAFT: Presidency indicts Mark, Tambuwal

The presidency, on Tuesday, indicted the leadership of the 7th National Assembly, over its alleged failure to carryout a proper oversight on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

It said its failure led to the alleged corruption and stealing of public funds which it said characterised the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Senator David Mark was the President of the 6th and 7th Senate, while the current Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, held sway as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly.

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Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, who addressed Senate Correspondents, said lawmakers’ failure led to the alleged siphoning of the security funds by the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki and others who served in Jonathan’s government that have been named.

Enang was a member of the 7th Senate, where he served as chairman of Rules and Business committee.

He said senators’ failure led to the alleged siphoning of the security funds in the office of the the National Security Adviser (NSA) and others who served in Jonathan’s government that have been named.

Enang claimed that the immediate-past minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke, allegedly had a free ride because the National Assembly failed to do its work.

“If the committees in the 7th National Assembly were doing their work, by checking what was happening in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Petroleum Ministry, we will not have had Diezanigate and all the other gates.

“We will not have had all the probes. Because the legislature concentrated less, that is why we are having the spill that the 8th Assembly is having. I feel guilty and I want to apologise. If the legislature did its duty like it is doing now, I think we will not have this situation,” he said.

Enang also spoke on budget padding. He dismissed the phrase and argued that it does not exist. According to him, the National Assembly has the right to add or remove anything to the budget during consideration.

Enang noted: “In all my legislative years, padding is a new word in th legislative lexicon. So we have to define it as a new matter. In my opinion, padding is an illegal or unlawful insertion by a person who is not expected to do it in a legal, legislative document.

“Therefore, unless a bill has been passed and forwarded to Mr. President for assent, there can be no padding. If the bill had been forwarded to the president and something is inserted into that before it is assented to by any person and something is added different from what is in the votes and proceedings of the Senate and House of Representatives, that is what constitutes padding.”
By Ehisuan Odia…

 

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