Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will soon commence probe against some officials of Edo State government particularly the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, over allegations of fraud, contract duplications and illegal deductions amounting to over N22 billion.
A highly placed EFCC source at the weekend told Nigerian Pilot Sunday that operatives in the office of head of Operations and Legal Department of the commission were currently studying a recent petition written by some lawmakers from Edo State House of Assembly against the state government, complaining about the alleged massive looting of the local government funds.
According to the source, the secretary to the Edo state government, the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, the Accountant General of the state and the Commissioner of Finance will soon appear before the operatives of the commission for some clarifications.
A factional group of lawmakers in the Edo State House of Assembly had two weeks ago passed a resolution directing the Economic and Finance Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the state/local government joint account effective from May 12, 2014.
The state legislature, which was presided over by the factional speaker, Chief Festus Ebea, also directed the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, RAMFAC, to withhold the revenue allocation accruing to the 18 local government areas of the state.
They also asked the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to bring before the House evidence of revenue receipts from the federation account as it earlier directed.
Nigerian Pilot recalls that Edo State House of Assembly has been factionalised following the suspension of four PDP lawmakers who had defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC, on June 9, with Speaker Uyi Igbe also leading 15 other APC legislators.
The resolution of the group loyal to Chief Ebea was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Etsako West constituency I, Mr. Abdulrazaq Momoh, who drew the attention of the House to the refusal of the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Lucky James, and council chairmen to furnish the House with receipts and expenditures of revenue allocations.
Momoh said that Section 129 of the 1999 constitution empowers the legislators to procure all evidence or summon any person living in Nigeria to come and give evidence.
Seconding the motion, the minority whip of the Assembly, Mr. Kingsley Ehigiamusoe said the legislators have a duty to procure evidence and summon any official, adding:
“We must summon them by whatever means. The Revenue and Fiscal Mobilisation Commission should look into the statutory receipt so that the fraud of the ministry could be checked.”
Factional speaker of the legislature, Ebea thereafter directed that clean copies of the resolution be sent to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the anti-graft agencies, the Ministry of Finance and other relevant state and federal government agencies for their actions.