The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing alleged job racketeering in federal ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) has petitioned anti-graft agencies over bribery allegations against members of the committee.
Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, who disclosed this on Thursday when rectors of Federal Polytechnic Rectors appeared before the committee, said the panel will not fall for “cheap blackmail” while carrying out its duties.
A report earlier this week had accused the lawmakers who are investigating job racketeering in government parastatals of extorting money from heads of federal ministries, departments and agencies, including those of tertiary institutions across the country.
But during the hearing on Thursday, Gagdi who grilled the rectors on the matter, asked the chairman, Committee of Federal Polytechnic Rectors, Dr. Yahaya Bande, what he knew about the matter.
Bande, who is the Rector of The Federal Polytechnic, Kaura-Namoda, Zamfara State, said neither he or any of his colleagues had met with the committee prior to Thursday’s appearance.
Describing the allegation as absurd, Bande maintained that the Rectors were not involved in the alleged bribery case.
He said: “I give you my word. In fact, it was early yesterday I heard that news. We haven’t appeared before the committee. It was yesterday most of us came into Abuja.
“How could it be possible that someone will blame or claim someone has collected bribe from him? That is absurd. And I’m telling you it is of no consequence to us. It is not related to us and, no Polytechnic is involved with that.
“The Committee of Federal Rectors is not in receipt of any account number or account name by any member of this committee sitting today. Today, being 31st of August is the date that we are even sitting and appearing before this committee. So I will say it under oath that we have not received any account number from any member of this committee.”
He added he did not receive inquiry from any media organisation asking him about suspicious transaction between rectors and some members of the committee.
In his response, Gagdi said the panel has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.
He stated: “I have already written to ICPC to investigate that account number that was published, the ownership of that account and whether there is any transaction between polytechnics, vice chancellors and leaders of tertiary institutions related to that account.
“If you lie to this committee, that you have not met with anybody, I know as far as activities of this committee is concerned, we conduct our business in the open. I as the chairman of this committee, I have no business with any head of institution. If agencies want to see me, I’m open, but I know myself.
“I’m not here to talk for myself. I’m talking for members of this committee. I will not allow anybody to ridicule any of them. So we have written to ICPC to investigate the authenticity of that account, and the transaction.
“We have no business with any transaction in that account. My business is to see if there is any transaction between rectors of polytechnics and the ownership of that account that is linked to any member of this committee. That’s what we are interested in.
Gagdi further alleged that alleging that some people are out there to incriminate members of the committee because of the ‘discoveries’ that have been made so far.
He added: “On behalf of this committee, let me say this to Nigerians that we are not scared. We will go on with this probe and come out publicly with our reports and recommendations. Nobody will blackmail any member of this committee and I will keep quite as the chairman of the committee. The rectors are here. To the best of our ability, we conduct our sitting openly.
“This is the first time they were invited to the National Assembly. You have heard their testimony. We ourselves have written to investigating agency to investigate this matter. Because, you cannot blackmail one of us or all of us by terming this committee a corrupt committee simply because we are discovering irregularities and fraud between agencies of government that is built with taxpayers money and you can come up with something that will scare me as a chairman of this committee. It is not possible.
“This is one unacceptable. I don’t have cap to receive dollars. So also the members of my committee, you cannot get us.”
