News as Reps commence public hearing on arms probe panel Wednesday

Here is latest update as barring any further hitches, the joint committee of the House of Representatives investigating the John-Ode led presidential arms probe panel will commence public hearing on the matter at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, tomorrow.


It is reported that the Chairman, House Committee on Public Safety, National Security and Intelligence, Honourable Aminu Sani Jaji, disclosed to the PRNigeria that
arrangements had been concluded to conduct the hearing.

Jaji said the joint committee, comprising committees on National Security and Intelligence and Public Procurement, was set up after many petitions were received by the lower chamber against the presidential investigating panel established by the government.

“The Presidency set up a presidential committee on armed procurement and the Office of the National Security Adviser also set up another verification committee to ascertain some of the claims.

“So far, what the committees have submitted, based on the information in the public domain, are preliminary reports rather than full and comprehensive one.

“Findings have further shown that very few claims of the firms involved in arms procurement have so far been verified, while nothing is being done on others.

“As you are aware, the National Assembly has received a lot of petitions and complaints over the conducts of the panel and activities of the firms being probed. We are also inundated with complaints that the inability of the panel to submit its reports has led to the failure of the government to pay arms contractors for their work and is affecting military operation.

“Meanwhile, there are also allegations that some of the contracts awarded to the firms were outrageous, apart from the fact that many did not follow due process and yet others received payment without carrying out the job,” he said.

The joint committee, chaired by both Honourable Jaji of Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Honourable Oluwole Oke of the committee on Public Procurement, had recently called for submission of written memoranda/position papers from top government officials and 241 firms.