The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Patricia Etteh, on Monday broke her silence on the contract scandal in the House and vowed to open up.
Etteh spoke to newsmen at the Presidential Villa after a meeting between some parliamentarians from the United Kingdom and President Umaru Yar’Adua.
She said the ongoing probe into the N628m scam was not in the best interest of the House.
Making her first public comments on the scandal, which is threatening her position as the fourth most powerful public officer in the country, the speaker explained that the matter should have been handled by the appropriate committees in the House.
She said, “What is on right now is not the best for our legislative arm of government.
“I believe that we have a committee that is saddled with that responsibility and I believe my colleagues should have at least reported me to the appropriate quarters.”
She explained that she decided to keep silent on the matter because of the integrity of the office of the Speaker of the House.
Etteh said, “But now that I have been taken to the court of public opinion, I have no choice.
“I will talk at the appropriate time. But I believe that as a leader of the House of Representatives, I should mind what I am going to say, not because of myself but because of the institution.”
Speculations that Mr. Farouk Lawan, who had nominated her for the position, was involved in the plot to remove her were confirmed by her.
“I am very much aware that he is spearheading it,” she said.
She, however, said she would not apportion blames since she was hoping for an amicable resolution of the crisis.
The speaker said, “Well, I don’t want to start talking on that but I believe that we are colleagues. I am the Speaker of the House of Representatives and all I am looking for now is how peace will reign in the House.
“So, for me to start apportioning blames, I think it is not right because I need all of them.
“I need everybody on board to make sure that we sustain this democracy and at the same time we support this government so that at the end of the day, we will have something to take back home for the people that voted for us.
“They expected a lot from this government and I don’t want to be part of the people that will rock the boat.”
“I can assure you that at the end of the day, the House will be a shining example.”
But almost a week after the panel probing into the scam ordered that renovation of the residence of the speaker be stopped, work is still in progress.
Five of the nine members of the panel visited the site on Monday after receiving information that their order was being flouted.
They expressed dissatisfaction with the contemptuous attitude of the contractor.
The panel members that visited the site were Mr. Depo Oyedokun, Mr. Habeeb Fashinro, Mr. Chinedu Eluemuno, Mr. Rabeh Nasiru, and Alhaji Saleh Minjibir.
About N238m is set aside for the renovation of Etteh’s residence out of the N628m vote for the controversial contract.
One of the panel members told our correspondents at the site that half of the sprawling edifice had been re-painted just as tiling was still on.
Our correspondents, who visited the site, saw new cement mixtures being used for the tile works.
The panel member said, “We visited the site and discovered that the contractor did not comply with our order.
“We did not see the contractor, but we saw his men working.
“Half of the building has been repainted; the plastic or paris ceiling is now completed, different from the stage of work on this area last week.
“However, this issue will be raised on Wednesday when the contractor appears before the panel. He has to tell the panel where he got a contrary directive to continue with the work from.”
The panel members said they would report to their chairman, Mr. David Idoko, who was expected to brief the press.
Idoko could not be reached for comments on his mobile telephone.
At the resumed sitting of the panel on Monday, Idoko adjourned in honour of a member of the House, Mr. Segun Oladimeji, killed by unknown gunmen in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday.
The representatives of the Corporate Affairs Commission were already at the sitting venue when the panel chairman and his team walked in to apologise for adjourning till Wednesday.
Also, Idoko said that the panel would not sit on Tuesday (today) as the House was expected to adjourn and suspend committee works in honour of the slain lawmaker.
On Wednesday, the Federal Capital Development Authority, some contractors and the CAC will testify.
The 10 principal officers of the House will start appearing before the panel on Thursday.
Only four of them attended the Tenders Board meeting that awarded the contracts.
Meanwhile, the House on Monday called on the Nigeria Police to fish out those behind the killing of Oladimeji.
It said that the task was a test case for the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, Mr. Eziuche Ubani, who addressed newsmen on the incident, said Etteh would lead a delegation of the House leadership on a condolence visit to the family of the deceased.
He said the House would hold a plenary on Tuesday in honour of the departed and then adjourn.
By Chiawo Nwankwo, Victor Sam and Ihuoma Chiedozie
The Punch
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
