The House of Representatives has finally reacted to reports of corruption allegations involving some of its standing committees.
On Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES published an investigation revealing how some committees of both the Senate and the House were engaged in an extortion racket targeting tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
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The report exposed the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, as well as the House Committee on University Education, for demanding ₦8 million from each university in exchange for passing the 2025 budget.
After remaining silent on the report for five days, the House, through its spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, issued a statement “clearing its committee” and proceeded to attack PREMIUM TIMES and heads of federal universities in the country.
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Mr Rotimi claimed that the report was a “deliberate attempt to undermine the integrity of the House and erode public trust in this hallowed institution.”
While evading the substance of the report, Mr Rotimi launched a diatribe against the management of tertiary institutions, accusing them of evading accountability.
He also claimed that the House Committee on University Education had uncovered various cases of malfeasance and allegations of sexual harassment in many schools.
“It is a matter of public record that some of these tertiary institutions have pending audit queries from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and have consistently failed to appear before the House Committee on Public Accounts to clarify these issues. This evasion raises questions about their governance practices and financial stewardship.
“This is in addition to disturbing allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and high-handedness in their dealings with staff and students, for which legislative oversight provides a crucial platform to address in the spirit of transparency.
“It is also noteworthy that recent oversight visits by the House Committee on University Education have revealed troubling governance practices in certain institutions. While the final report is being compiled, preliminary findings in some institutions suggest a pattern of serious malfeasance that demands thorough investigation. These engagements provide an opportunity for institutions to demonstrate accountability, yet some individuals have chosen to deflect with unfounded accusations and blackmail,” the statement read in part.
Addressing the issues raised by Mr Rotimi
Mr Rotimi’s claims of malfeasance in university governance are not new and have been well reported by PREMIUM TIMES. However, many have argued that the challenges in these institutions can be traced to poor oversight by the National Assembly committees.
Most committees of the National Assembly often fail to present reports on their investigations and oversight visits. At the commencement of the 10th Assembly, several ad hoc committees were set up by the House to probe different issues. However, very few presented reports to the House, and even fewer reports were considered by the Committee of the Whole for necessary action.
Mr Rotimi also claimed that he was not contacted before publication. While this is true, the spokesperson is not a member of any of the committees and does not speak for them but for the House. The Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Hassan Fulata, was contacted for comments but ignored the request.
In line with journalistic best practices, this paper contacted Mr Rotimi to ask what action the House would take, but he declined to comment officially.
Meanwhile, the House has become notorious for sweeping allegations involving its members and committees under the carpet. Recently, there were some bribery allegations made by the CEO of Binance, Richard Teng.
In 2023, PREMIUM TIMES exposed an ad hoc committee of the House that was tasked with probing job racketeering but ended up extorting MDAs. The report provided details of the bank account into which the money was paid, the bureau de change entity used, and the proxy who collected the funds. Following the publication, the House, through Mr Rotimi, promised to investigate the matter. However, no action has been taken to date.
Last year, PREMIUM TIMES also published a report on how some committees tried to extort tertiary institutions through the TETFUND allocation. The committees backed down after the report.
Weeks ago, this paper also published a report showing how the Ministry of the FCT allocated N10 billion for rent and furniture for the presiding officers of the National Assembly amidst the economic hardship Nigerians are facing.
PREMIUM TIMES will, in the coming days, publish more reports exposing the activities of some of these committees in both the House and the Senate.
