Reps petition ICPC over bribery claim against members

•Vow to forge ahead with probe of MDAs

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating alleged job racketeering and gross mismanagement in Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and other Related Offences (ICPC), over bribery allegations against members of the committee.

Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, who stated this when rectors of Federal Polytechnic appeared before the committee, yesterday, in Abuja, said the panel would not cave in to what he called ‘cheap blackmail’ in the discharge of its duties.

Recently, a report had accused the adhoc of extorting money from some heads of MDAs, including those of tertiary institutions across the country, to escape being indicted by of the lawmakers

But Gagdi, who grilled the rectors on the matter, asked the chairman, Committee of Federal Polytechnic Rectors, Dr. Yahaya Bande, what he knew about the corruption scandal.

Bande, Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura-Namoda, Zamfara State, said neither he nor any of his colleagues had met with the committee prior the public appearance.

Describing the allegation as absurd, Bande maintained that the rectors were not involved in the alleged bribery scandal.

In his response, Gagdi said the panel had petitioned ICPC to investigate the matter, adding that the integrity of the lawmakers must not be tarnished.

“Nobody will blackmail any member of this committee and I will keep quiet as the chairman. 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 the 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 are 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 unacceptable. I do not have a cap to receive dollars. So also the members of my committee, you cannot get us.”