REPS PROBE SMART ADEYEMI'S CORRUPTION ALLEGATION

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate comments credited to a member of the Senate, Senator Smart Adeyemi, who had alleged that National Assembly members were corrupt.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Air Force, Mr. Halims Agoda, raised an order of privilege on the floor of the House on Thursday to report the issue to the legislature.

Agoda had wanted to sponsor a motion on the matter, so that it could debated on the floor but the Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, overruled him.

The speaker referred the matter to the committee for investigation.

Adeyemi had reportedly paid a visit to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The senator was quoted as telling Waziri that corruption cases abound in Nigeria, aided by commercial banks in particular.

He was said to have told the EFCC boss that banks assisted in opening fictitious accounts through which influential persons, including members of the National Assembly, laundered money.

Although, Adeyemi has denied making such comments, the Senate on Wednesday ordered a probe into the matter.

The House took a similar decision on Thursday by referring the matter to the ethics committee for investigation.

Meanwhile, an eight-man ad-hoc committee of the House headed by the Deputy Minority Leader, Alhaji Suleiman Kawu, has begun to look into the controversial N257.1bn ONEX/Abuja Airport Road Project on Thursday.

The House had on May 18, adopted a motion to probe the contract, following the suspicion that it had been inflated.

Kawu said on Thursday that contractors and ministries, departments and agencies handling the contract were being summoned to appear before the committee.

The lawmaker added that the aim of the investigation was to re-evaluate the project to 'determine a more realistic market-driven price.'