A civil rights organization; the Anti-Corruption Network (ACN) has given the House of Representatives 14 days to commence investigation of alleged corruption against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godson Orubebe or face a legal action.
“We recall that the House of Representatives over four months ago passed a resolution to investigate the corruption charges on Godson Orubebe. The House went further to set up a Committee to probe these corruption allegations against him. Surprisingly, the said Committees-Petroleum Downstream and Anti-Corruption in the House are yet to either sit or invite Orubebe.
“We see this as a serious compromise against the spirit of that resolution as deposited in the vote and proceedings of the House. We are therefore calling on the House of Representatives and indeed, the Committees to, within 14 days invite Orubebe and other stakeholders in this matter or face a legal action from the Anti-Corruption Network,” read an ACN statement issued by its Executive Secretary and former House member, Mr. Dino Melaye.
Huhuonline.com understands that on November 29, 2012, the House of Representatives directed its Committees on Anti-Corruption, Drugs/Narcotics/Financial Crimes and Justice to open investigations into an alleged multi-billion naira mansion said to belong to Orubebe. The property, located at Mabushi in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) was said to have been built for Orubebe by a construction firm, SETRACO. The committees were directed to conduct the investigation and report within 21 days.
The ACN statement issued Thursday in Abuja regretted that about four months after the expiration of the deadline for the commencement of investigation, nothing had been done, thereby fueling speculations that the legislators may have been compromised.
“We are surprised that despite all evidence and exposition of the corruption perpetrated by Diezani Alison Madueke and Godson Orubebe, Ministers of Petroleum Resources and Niger Delta Affairs respectively, it is a shame that these two and many more still sit comfortably every Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council Meetings under the watchful eyes of an unperturbed President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We also use this opportunity to once again tell Mr. President that the continuous stay as Ministers of both Alison-Madueke and Orubebe is not only a disgrace to the government and people of Nigeria but also a confirmation that Mr. President condoles corruption.”
According to Melaye no amount of blackmail and intimidation “will detract our attention from championing this God-given assignment of exposing corruption that is the bane of our development in our avowed promise to fight corruption to a standstill in Nigeria.”
The House had endorsed a motion sponsored by Mr. Odeneye Kehinde to probe the ownership of the property. In moving the motion, Kehinde had noted that the property had been one of the issues dominating discussions lately in the country. He observed that: “there is no evidence that the minister declared the house in his asset declaration with the Code of Conduct Bureau.”
He expressed surprise that neither the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) nor the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had considered the issue important for investigation.
Part of the motion he presented before the House read: “It is saddening for me to have to come up with a motion of this nature to address a matter which ought to have been taken up by our anti-corruption agencies.
“This motion is brought against the backdrop of mounting disclosures of corrupt practices leveled against a sitting minister by some anti-corruption outfits in the country… The minister has paid for so many phantom projects. The minister is presently resident in a house at Mabushi District Abu] built and handed over to him by SETRACO, a construction company that doubles as his crony.” He added, “The minister’s failure to declare the said house in his asset declaration form with Code of Conduct Bureau is a case of perjury if established.”
