A National Assembly of Fraudsters and Crooks!
January 24th, 2008 | Published in Africa, Corruption, Data, Democracy, Media, Nigeria | 10 Comments
The Nigerian Vanguard newspaper reports that the National Assembly is full fraudsters. This was revealed in a statement credited one Nuhu Aliyu, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, and a serving Senator. Excerpts:
SENATOR Nuhu Aliyu [check his profile online ; http://www.nassnig.org/senate/Personal%20data/Aliyu/Home.htm], a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, stunned his colleagues yesterday when he declared on the floor of the Senate that the National Assembly had, as some of its members, fraudsters.
He said he even had in his possession a list of such legislators he investigated for fraud while in the police.
Senator Aliyu’s comment came on the wings of concerns by Senators over the direction of the anti-graft war in the aftermath of the nomination of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for a course at NIPSS, Kuru.
Notwithstanding Senator Aliyu’s allegation, the Senate in a near unanimous resolution adopted a motion, urging the Federal Government to remain steadfast in its commitment to the war against corruption.
The paper reports that “it was the second time that Senator Aliyu would publicly declare the presence of crooks in the two chambers of the National Assembly. During the consideration of the amendment bill on the Electoral Act on April 20, 2005 he regretted the presence of “criminals†who he said he personally apprehended while in Police service.”
Investigative journalism has been lushed down the toilet! Three years is enough time for the media to dig in and reveal those fraudsters. Please visit Wikipedia to read about the role of journalism in a democracy and the basic elements of journalism. It appears all the Nigerian journalist cares for is running after cash-stuffed brown envelopes (eguje) and churning out mediocre reports, or simply complain about what is not right with the Nigerian system. Some publishers now focus more on organizing musical jamborees that upholding standards. What a mess!
Let’s examine the Senator’s statement from another angle. When the Senators asked to reveal the names and identities of the crooks, he kept mute. By failing to reveal the details of the criminal background of his colleagues, isn’t Senator Aliyu as guilty as those he accuses; as a retired top-ranking cop shouldn’t he know better, right?
Okay, Senator Aliyu has since removed his uniform for a babaringa, but as a retired top-brass cop, he should know there are ways the information he has sat on for years can be made public, with the necessary facts, and without compromising his identity. As long as there are people like Senator Aliyu in positions of power and authority, Nigeria can only muster take baby-steps, instead of giant leaps.
In my books, Senator Aliyu is an accomplice in this matter, and he isn’t any better than the crooks he once investigated. All it takes the Senator getting the information out is sending his dossier to New York Times, UK Guardian, or even Sahara Reporters!
January 24th, 2008 at 5:03 pm (#)
Senator Aliyu could be guilty of misguided judgement in terms of choosing to speak out himself and not taking the Nigerian story of shame to international papers. This is not enough to call him a crook himself. All that is needed is encourage or force him to name this corrupt, fraudsters and crooks turned senate members. Do we have any proof that he is also an accomplice or anything on him to suggest that he is a crook?
January 25th, 2008 at 12:23 pm (#)
The term “accomplice” is rather used loosely in the post. But being slack in revealing the identities of those crooks, the Senator’s action is similar to that of an accomplice in a crime. He has inadvertently aided and abetted corruption!
January 25th, 2008 at 1:10 pm (#)
Let us hope he eventually reveals the names of the crooks he knew in his active days, for if I were in the Senate I will ask him to clarify his assertions for when fingers are pointed, everyone in the room is deemed guilty and would feel uncomfortable on the “beni-beko” suspicion.
January 25th, 2008 at 4:14 pm (#)
WELL THIS SEEMS TO BE IN LINE WITH MY THINKING. READ ON CURTESY OF http://WWW.ODILI.NET:
Name ‘419’ lawmakers, House tells Sen Aliyu
•Senate to make report on fraudsters public
From Stanley Nkwazema and Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja, 01.25.2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wednesday’s claim by a retired Deputy Ins-pector General (DIG) of Police, Senator Nuhu Aliyu, that the National Assembly is riddled with fraudster, reverberated yesterday in the House of Repres-entatives.
After a debate on a motion brought over the matter, the House directed its Ethics and Privileges Committee to invite Senator Aliyu to substantiate his allegation.
Also yesterday, the Senate said it would make public the identities of legislators that may be exposed as fraudsters by Aliyu before its Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee.
Aliyu, who is Chairman, Senate Committee on Security and National Intelligence, had caused a stir in the Senate on Wednesday when he threatened to mention some lawmakers he had investigated for their involvement in Advance Fee Fraud (aka 419) while he was DIG in charge of Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Hon. Halims Agoda from Ethiope Federal Constituency of Delta State brought the issue to the attention of the House when he moved a motion on what he called a Matter of Urgent National Importance.
Agoda, who stated that he viewed the statement by Senator Aliyu representing Niger North Senatorial district with concern, pointed out that such a statement could have been overlooked if it had been made by any other person.
He said he was conscious of the fact that the statement was not only directed at individuals or groups but the institution of the National Assembly.
“That such a disparaging comment could be made on the National Assembly is not only damaging to the institution but the entire nation, as the National Assembly for what it represents could be said to be the conscience of the nation,†Agoda said.
House Speaker, Hon Dimeji Bankole, while ruling on the motion, said the allegation had called to question the integrity of people that populate the National Assembly.
“Since Senator Aliyu has immunity to make allegations of corruption against House members and Senators, the issue is not about any individual now. This issue is here, so we have to charge the Ethics and Privileges Committee and give them our total support. Heads may roll, this is real and inevitable.
“This is serious and we are going to do it and do it in public domain. We are not in a 100 metre race: this is a long distance race, so I wish the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges good luck,†he said.
In the motion, the House noted “that such a disparaging comment on the National Assembly is not only damaging to the institution but the entire nation as the National Assembly is the conscience of the nation.â€
Stating that this remark coming from no other person than a fellow lawmaker has called to question the integrity of the legislators, the House resolved to “cleanse itself from this public odium, and direct its Ethics and Privileges Committee to invite the Distinguished Senator Nuhu Aliyu to substantiate this rather weighty but sweeping statement.â€
The House also resolved to direct the committee to take other necessary steps with a view to verifying the allegation or otherwise putting a lie to it.
Members of the House who spoke while referring the motion to the committee urged their colleagues to support the committee.
In his contribution to the motion, former Speaker Pro Tempore, Hon. Terngu Tsegba, said, “Nuhu Aliyu is a former Deputy Inspector General of Police, so he must be conversant with this set of people (fraudulent lawmakers).
“One of our former members’ personal assistants allegedly wrote letters to foreigners that were supposed to be meeting with the Speaker at a venue in Abuja and collected $25, 000 each from them and at the end of the day, there was no meeting.
When the issue of whether the House had powers to investigate Senator Aliyu was raised by Hon. Ita Enang, Chairman Rules and Business Committee, Hon. Leo Ogor quoted Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution to support the summon.
The section states that, “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Senate or the House of Representatives shall have power to regulate its own procedure, including the procedure for summoning and recess of the House,†but this appears to be vague with respect to whether the House can investigate a Senator.
Hon. Farouk Lawan, on his part, recalled that it was the House that also blew the whistle on the late former Senate President, Chief Evan Enwerem.
“We investigated him in 1999 and he appeared before us. We took decisions on the matter and it led to the ouster of the Senate President,†he said.
Lawan said Senator Aliyu whom he claimed had the penchant for making spurious allegations should not act like a coward but petition relevant agencies on any matter.
Hon. Mercy Almona-Isei, in her own contribution, said it was a serious issue that should not be left untouched.
Almona-Isei said: “We are not troubled because we are guilty, but fallacious reason tends to misguide the public. We have to invite him to come and lift the veil and expose those who are behind these allegations.â€
The Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Information, Senator Ayogu Eze, who disclosed that the Senate would make identities of fraudsters as may be disclosed by Senator Aliyu public, also gave reasons why the Senate President, Senator David Mark, stopped the Senator from giving names of the 419 legislators when he sought to do so.
Eze said all that the Senate President tried to do was to create an opportunity for the innocent not to fall with the guilty.
He said the Senate would not sit on the report of the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee when ready.
He also said the report on the investigation of Senator George Akume in connection with allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement reported against the Senate President in some newspapers would also be considered within the next two weeks.
According to him, “I want to emphasise to you the seriousness that the Senate and the Senate leadership attach to our reservations about the comments of one of our colleagues on the floor about the issue of some people that are alleged to have some very shady records.
“It was a tribute to the Senate President’s experience and his maturity that we did not allow our colleague to call names on the floor for the simple reason that if he did so, there was every possibility that he could call somebody who is innocent.
“You and I know that when you tar somebody with the brush of criminality or malfeasance, it would stick in the eyes and in the minds of the people.â€
January 25th, 2008 at 7:14 pm (#)
What annoys me greatly is the fact that Senator Aliyu has been murmuring since 2005 about crooks being in the national assembly; is it that difficult to reveal names without jeopardizing his safety - if this is his concern? Now he may be forced to talk and he will lose having the safety-net of anonymity he would have negotiated if he had acted sooner!!! Common sense has stopped being common since we gained independence, I think.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:00 am (#)
Well he mentioned that some people that were in the same room with him are crooks so he will have no choice but to name names. This has gone too far.
January 29th, 2008 at 4:53 pm (#)
Ha Imnakoya, now I agree 100% with you, this Senator Aliyu is an I***t. See the recent post on http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/29/511.html under the heading:
Fraudulent lawmakers: Senator Aliyu makes U-turn
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
This is an excerpt:
“I repeat, and I repeat it again, I stand by what I said. The only thing you are not going to hear from me are the names you want to know. I will not mention these names you want to know. I will not mention those names.
“I will not provide any name to anybody because it would leak. I was prepared to name names on that day, but I have changed my mind. I won’t mention names except to the Senate president or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. If it leaks out, I will know the source.â€
January 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pm (#)
What do you expect, Nuhu Aliyu has been at this drama for 3 years! He talks about the name “leaking out to the media”…did he get it?
Every Nigerian needs to know those names. The bearers of those names need to be scrutinized and sanctioned if found guilty.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:27 pm (#)
Newspaper reports have it that Senator Aliyu will have to sing, and fast. Cant see how he will get out of this one, so names must and need be mentioned. As TonyD said, corrupt senators must be brought to books.
Have you all heard about the new Abuja Drama (good enough for Nollywood), Speaker Bankole was ordered out of a caucus meeting, possibly because his father is one of the G21 calling for the impeachment of Obasanjo in PDP. Senator Bankole is not taking this lying low, so the house are getting geared for retalative action. Never a dull moment in my darling Naija. How I love her so. Reminds me of that long ago favorite song:
I love my country I no go lie
Na inside am I go live and die
When i turn me so, I touch am so
I push me I push am I no go go.
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am (#)
AND RIGHTLY SO, PLEASE SEE EXCERPT CURTSEY OF http://WWW.GAMJI.COM WHERE YOU CAN READ THE FULL POST:
419 Legislators: Reps insist on probe
Written by Chioma Gabriel, Deputy Editor, Emma Aziken and Leon Usigbe, Abuja
Friday, 01 February 2008
THE House of Representatives has described as too late the retraction by Senator Nuhu Aliyu on the presence of fraudsters in the National Assembly and has vowed to continue with the investigation. Honourable Farouk Lawan, the leader of Integrity Group which held sway during the Etteh-Gate told Saturday Vanguard that the retired DIG must be compelled to list these fraudsters to help the cause of democracy and the integrity of legislators.