Lawan denies claims lawmakers collected $10m bribe to peg development fund at 3% in PIA

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has described as false the $10 million bribe allegedly offered to members of the two chambers of the National Assembly to pass a three per cent host community development fund.

Lawan stated this while briefing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday.

The senate president frowned at the way and manner that some citizens had been spreading fake news and misinformation against the NASS and the government.

An online news media (not Ripples Nigeria) had reported that the leadership of NASS had been allegedly accused of taking bribes to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill.

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However, the senate president said: “People say anything or everything about the President, about the administration, about members of National Assembly, they call us names and this is part of the intangible dividends of democracy.

“But we are determined to ensure that the space is wide open for everybody to say whatever he wants to say.

“But I will advise that don’t say things that are bad because people are in the habit of…and recently somebody said 10 million dollars was given to the Speaker and the Senate President to give to members of the National Assembly to pass three per cent host community development fund.

“That is funny, but also very serious.

“I really want to take this opportunity to take exceptions to those kinds of unwarranted, false, and fake information being fed to the Nigerian public and the danger people will face with this is you cause unnecessary damage to the reputation of people.’’

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