Nigeria Content Online

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji
Bankole, yesterday brushed aside attempts by his colleagues to question
allegations made by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, that federal
lawmakers are corrupt.

At an event in Niger State last week, Mr Obasanjo
accused the lawmakers of high level corruption during his years as
president, detailing how he failed to know their true earnings and how
legislators often stuffed federal budgets, without request from the
executive arm of government. He said the constituency projects which
members carry out, is a “conduit pipe for corruption.” At the chamber’s
reconvening yesterday, for the approval of the Independent National
Electoral Commission extra budget, Mohammed Maifata, from Kano state,
said his privilege as a member was breached by Mr Obasanjo’s comments.
He prayed the House to decide collectively to institute legal action
against the former president if there was no retraction in two weeks,
failure which he will proceed on a individual litigation. “One man
called Olusegun Obasanjo cannot just begin to make allegations and call
people thieves,” he said.

Some members, though willing to share with the criticism, opposed
Mr. Maifata’s style of referring to the former president. Mr Bankole
urged his colleagues to recall the essence of the emergency session,
and leave other issues. “I appeal to you to leave the issue because of
the very pressing assignemnet that we have to deal with,” he said. But
another member, Igo Aguma, who represents Port Harcourt, Rivers state,
insisted that even where the issue is to be allowed, the leadership
should make clear position on the truth about the much-criticized
consitutency projects. Mr Bankole clarified that projects are only
influenced by the members, but are often carried out through the office
of the Millenium Development Goals.