- Threatens Legal Action, Alleges Compromise
A civil rights organization, Anti-Corruption Network on Thursday issued a 14 days ultimatum to the House of Representatives to commence investigation of alleged corruption level against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godson Orubebe or face a legal action.
The House of Representatives had on November 29 2012 ordered an investigation into a “multi-billion naira” mansion which is said to belong to Orubebe.
The property, located at Mabushi in the Federal Capital Territory, was said to have been built for the minister by a construction firm, SETRACO.
The committees on Anti-Corruption, Drugs/Narcotics/Financial Crimes and Justice were directed to conduct the investigation within 21 days and produce a report.
But ACN in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by its Executive Secretary and former member of the House, Mr. Dino Melaye, regretted that about four months after the expiration of the timeframe for the commencement of investigation, nothing had been done, thereby fueling speculations that the legislators may have been compromised.
He said, “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 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.
“We also use this opportunity to once again tell Mr. President that the continuous stay as Ministers of both Alison-Madaueke 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 name calling, blackmail, intimidation, arrest and rearrest, lies and fallacy “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 of Representative had in endorsing a motion sponsored by Mr. Odeneye Kehinde tandem allegation against Orubebe resolved to probe the ownership of the property.
Kehinde had noted that the property had been one of the issues dominating discussions lately in the country.
He said, “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 nor the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission 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 levelled against a sitting minister by some anti-corruption outfits in the country.
