By Ayorinde Oluokun.
Senator Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate said on Tuesday that the Senate will not succumb to intimidation in its planned probe of the alleged N25 billion Treasury Single Account (TSA) fraud. Speaking while reacting to a motion moved by Senator Dino Melaye on Tuesday over a newspaper publication alleging that the planned probe of N25 billion fraud was directed at frustrating the implementation the Treasury Single Account by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, Saraki said the Senate would continue to carry out its constitutional duties, including pointing out any action that would be detrimental to Nigerians.
“No amount of either blackmail or intimidation will stop us from doing the work we have to do. We have a responsibility here to ensure that there are no leakages in government funds and if there are, we will call the attention of the public and do whatever it takes to salvage the situation; it is our responsibility. The fact about the TSA will come out and everybody will have opportunity before the committee to state the fact, the facts will speak for themselves,” the Senate President said.
He added that the Senate would expedite action on the inauguration of Standing Committees to enable it to begin its oversight function fully to tackle such problems.
Senator Melaye had in his motion expressed concern that the Senate is being accused of working against the President over the planned probe even when actions by the Senate had led SystemSpecs to refund the one per cent it collected from mopped up funds to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“The writer said we are against the change agenda of Mr President because we raised the abnormality going on with the implementation of the TSA. We did not at any time in this Hallowed Chamber implicate President Muhammadu Buhari of being involved in TSA fraud. We will not stop carrying out our legislative duties for fear of being blackmailed. The motion moved last week had two prayers,” said Melaye.
“The first thing we did was to thank Mr President and commend him for the implementation of the TSA and for anyone to say the Senate is fighting Mr President is myopic, parochial and unacceptable. I have a letter here that I am going to lay with this paper, written by the Director, Banking and Payment of CBN to the Managing Director of SystemSpecs. The CBN categorically stated that they should remit the one per cent that they collected,” the Kogi State Senator further revealed.
“I also have a letter here by the managing director of that company to the Accountant General of the Federation and the Governor of CBN that completely buttressed and elicited our decision last week. So for people to blackmail us as irresponsible, it is not acceptable to me and the Senate. Never would we allow blackmail and political and economic bigots to destroy the people. We are for the people and we will stand in defence of public interest,” he added.
The Senate subsequently referred the write-up and letters cited by Melaye to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition for investigation within a week. Melaye had in a motion last week raised alarm over alleged payment of N25 billion to one e-collection firm, REMITA, in one day as one per cent of monies transferred to TSA.The Senate had consequently directed its Committee on Finance, Banking and other Financial Institutions and Public Accounts to carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and report back in two weeks.