PRESS RELEASE
14th May 2008.
Press Release
DPA ENDORSES HOUSE OF REPS’ PLAN TO BEGIN PROBE OF STATES FROM LAGOS
The Democratic Peoples’ Alliance (DPA) has endorsed the House of
Representatives’ plan to probe financial allocations to the 36 states
since 1999. The party particularly hailed the move to begin the
investigation from Lagos State.
DPA urged the House to make the probe public and call for documented and
oral evidence from Nigerians.
According to the party, the House of Representatives’ proposal tallied
with its own call since 2007 for a probe into allocations to Lagos since
1999, especially with regard to funds appropriated to the local
governments.
The probe plan was recently announced by the Speaker, Honourable
Oladimeji Bankole, who said it was part of fulfilling the Federal
Legislature’s oversight function. He doused fears of its having
political or witch-hunting undertones. Beginning with Lagos, Bankole had
said, was only natural because of the city’s status as former Federal
Capital.
“As far as we are concerned, this is a commendable long-expected
exercise and we whole-heartedly welcome it. The investigation will
enhance accountability and probity and hold the government answerable to
the people. Better still, it will send out a strong signal that those
who mismanage public funds cannot escape investigation and possibly
prosecution, even where the state Legislature has been compromised,” the
party said in a statement by its Director of Publicity, FELIX OBOAGWINA.
DPA commended the House, saying, its commitment to probity and
accountability, as epitomised by its probe of the power sector and other
endeavours, bolstered the credibility of the Nation’s democracy.
However, the party urged the House of Representatives to make the probe
comprehensive, and to ensure it covered allocation and expenditure
patterns in the council and state governments.
“Insinuations abound that allocations to Lagos State were mismanaged,
with part of local government allocations diverted from source,” DPA
said.
DPA also enjoined the reps to probe the tenures of the local government
executive secretaries, and make concrete pronouncements about the
illegality of ad hoc, unelected council administrators in future.
In addition, the party urged the House to investigate Lagos for the
following:
The Eko Akete Housing Scheme that was launched with fanfare but which
has not produced a single flat despite the state’s huge investment; The use of revenue consultants in violation of public fiscal regulations.
According to the party, the reps must seize the opportunity to iron out
the matter of states employing consultants to generate funds, a practice
the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has kicked against without
result.
DPA said: “It will be interesting to know what conclusions Federal
lawmakers will draw on such tax consultancy bodies as Alpha-Beta, that
the FIRS has ruled as illegal but which the states continue to employ in
their drive for internally-generated revenues, to the detriment and the
redundancy of civil servants employed in states’ revenue boards.”
In addition, the party suggested that Lagosians would want to know the
fate of the N10 billion erstwhile seized council allocations that
President Yar’Adua ordered released, but which Governor Babatunde
Fashola has refused to deliver, claiming that past allotments to the ad
hoc council administrators had not been faithfully utilised.
FELIX OBOAGWINA
Director of Publicity, Lagos DPA
08033327355.