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Tag: Sagay

  • Bribery video: Kano Assembly ‘not equipped’ to probe Ganduje – Sagay

    The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), says the Kano State House of Assembly is not equipped to investigate Governor Abdullahi Ganduje who was allegedly caught on camera collecting bribes from contractors.

    A video had gone viral on the Internet purportedly showing Ganduje collecting dollars as kickbacks from contractors, a development which prompted an investigation by the state assembly which invited the governor to testify.

    However, a Kano State High Court ruled on Monday that the Assembly should stop the probe immediately.

    Speaking with our correspondent during an interview on Tuesday, Sagay said that an investigation of such a video would require forensic analysis which the legislative arm of government was not competent to carry out.

    He said, “The fact that somebody on social media which is full of lies and hate attacks against people says so does not prove that such has happened.

    “Personally I would like to see the contractor come out and say ‘yes I am the one and I gave him so and so amount’. I would like to see that but that has not yet happened. In any case, when it comes to the investigation of the governor, I think we have institutions that have been established for that. We have the EFCC particularly for that.

    “I don’t really understand what role the House of Assembly wanted to place on itself. It is not equipped to do investigations of the sort because it could be forensic. So, in other words, there is still a cloud over the whole thing and I am not ready to jump to any conclusion until I am confident that some wrong has been done.”

    When asked if the legislative arm of government could not investigate the governor as part of its oversight functions, Sagay said the job of the Assembly was to carry out oversight functions and not to investigate state executives.

    The senior advocate said, “Oversight functions don’t include that sort of thing. Oversight functions only involve monies that have been approved in their budget and then oversight is done on how such monies that were approved which have gone through the budget system are being expended.

    “That is where their oversight functions are limited to. This allegation is about somebody from outside giving the governor some money. It is not part of the House of Assembly’s responsibilities.”

    When asked if the failure to probe Ganduje would not portray the anti-graft war of the current government as selective in the light of the fact that Ayodele Fayose was probed despite having immunity, Sagay said both scenarios were different.

    The PACAC chairman said, “When there are clear cases it is easy to act. In the case of Fayose, Musiliu Obanikoro confessed that he ferried billions of naira to him through a private jet and everything was well recorded. Everything was very clear. The man who brought the money was very clear.

    “The money was paid into bank accounts that were established. So, it is not the same thing. This one seems to me to be very vague and cloudy and I have yet to be satisfied that it is not a political conspiracy of some sort by the enemies of the governor. So, we need to see something more concrete.”

  • How Buhari will fund 2019 elections should Saraki fail to pass INEC budget – Sagay

    How Buhari will fund 2019 elections should Saraki fail to pass INEC budget – Sagay

    Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) on Wednesday said the Federal Government could fund next year’s general election by invoking the doctrine of necessity should the National Assembly fail to pass the budget.

    According to him, the overriding necessity of elections and survival of democracy supersede the National Assembly’s powers where democracy is threatened.

    Sagay, in a statement, said while the power to approve the budget is only a single item in the Constitution, democracy and its processes, including elections, are what the Constitution are about.

    The statement reads: “The failure or refusal by the National Assembly to approve funds for the 2019 election will constitute a sabotage of our democracy, of which the Constitution is the embodiment.

    “If elections are not held, it will mean the collapse of our democracy, leading to chaos and anarchy. The question that arises is simple.

    “Which is more critical to democracy and the survival of Nigeria: Is it (1) the power of the National Assembly to approve budgets or (2) the survival of democracy and Nigeria itself?

    “If the survival of democracy is more important and fundamental to Nigeria’s existence, then failure to approve the budget for elections will trigger the doctrine of necessity, thus compelling the funding of election without the approval of the National Assembly.

    “It is simply a question of the survival of democracy and the continued existence of Nigeria. The power of approval of budget is just a single item in the whole of the Constitution.

    “On the contrary, elections and democracy which they support, constitute what the whole Constitution is about.

    “Therefore, the overriding necessity and imperative of elections and democracy simply override the power of National Assembly.

    “If the National Assembly refuses or fails to approve the budget for election, the doctrine of necessity will validate the provision of the funds without the National Assembly’s approval.”

    The National Assembly Joint Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will o reconvene on August 27 to conclude work on the 2019 INEC budget submitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif, had said in a statement: “Sequel to the ongoing consideration of the INEC 2019 General Election Budget by the joint committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, the general public is hereby informed that work on the budget is in advanced stage and in line with the mandate issued to the joint committee by the leadership of the National Assembly.

    “Equally, the joint committee deliberated on all key attributes of the budget while taking into cognisance the imperative urgency for the budget to be ready in time for the 2019 general election hence, necessitating sacrifice and selflessness from our distinguished and honourable members.

    “Furthermore, it is imperative to state here explicitly that, after an audacious session with all critical stakeholders, the joint committee dissolved into executive structure and agreed to resume on 27th of August, 2018, (after Sallah) to consider the harmonised version of the budget report diligently.

    “Moreso, the report of the joint committee will be made available for further and appropriate legislative action in earnest.”

  • Adeosun too good to be sacked, I don’t bloody care if she did NYSC or not – Sagay

    Adeosun too good to be sacked, I don’t bloody care if she did NYSC or not – Sagay

    The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman, Itse Sagay (SAN), has downplayed the controversy about the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate of Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.

    Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on the UK Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), Sagay also said President Muhammadu Buhari cannot afford to sack Adeosun.

    “I don’t know why the government has not reacted. But, let me tell you my reaction: This woman is a brilliant and extremely valuable member of this government”, Nation quoted him as saying.

    “A lot of the good things happening now – the welfare that Nigerians are enjoying and are going to enjoy, because it takes time, and the way our economy is booming, how we got out of recession – are due to her expertise, her commitment, her sacrifice.

    “There is nothing in this world that will make me remove such a woman from the government. The PDP can weep from now until there is no tear in their body; she is going to be there. We cannot afford to lose that woman.

    “Who cares about youth service? I don’t bloody care whether she did youth service or not. It’s irrelevant as far as I am concerned.”

    “I don’t believe it. I don’t see anything serious about not doing youth service. I don’t see anything serious about it. That’s my own bias, not government’s.

    “I’m telling you now. If you ask me – If I were President Buhari, I would never, ever touch that woman because she’s damn good,” he added.

  • Saraki should resign as a matter of honour, says Sagay

    Senate President Bukola Saraki should step down as a matter of honour, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman Itse Sagay (SAN) said yesterday.

    According to him, it will require two-thirds majority of available Senators to unseat Saraki.

    Prof. Sagay, however, emphasised that the Senate President’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the platform on which he was elected, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), does not invalidate his position.

    He spoke in Abuja on the sidelines of a workshop on the United Kingdom Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), organised by PACAC, UK National Crime Agency and the Department for International Development (DfID).

    On whether Saraki was bound to resign, Sagay said: “He should relinquish his position as a matter of honour. He’s not compelled by law to do so. He needs to be removed by two-thirds majority.

    “He got there because he was in APC, even though he got there by subterfuge, which is typical of him. He got there in a cheeky, fraudulent manner.

    “Nevertheless, for him to be removed, they need two-thirds, not of the Senate, but of those present and voting at a meeting.

    “It doesn’t have to be everybody. It’s those who happen to be there. Once they meet the quorum of one-third, and he is there, he can be removed by two-thirds of that one-third.”

    Sagay faulted the freezing of Benue State’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing it as “extreme”.

    He said while EFCC could investigate governors, they cannot be prosecuted since they have immunity.

    “There’s nothing EFCC can do to him (Governor Samuel Ortom). They can’t arrest him. They can investigate him, put down the records of what they found, and wait for his tenure to end. Right now, nobody can touch him.

    “As for freezing Benue State’s account, I can’t support it. I don’t know why, but government has to function. I don’t want people to suffer because there are no funds for basic government functions.

    “I don’t know if EFCC really did that; we have to be careful because it looks extreme to me,” Sagay said.

    The eminent professor of law rejected calls for President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun over the allegation that she skipped the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and forged an exemption certificate.

    Asked what he thought about the government’s refusal to react to the issue, Sagay said: “I don’t know why the government has not reacted.

    “But, let me tell you my reaction. This woman is a brilliant and extremely valuable member of this government.

    “A lot of the good things happening now – the welfare that Nigerians are enjoying and are going to enjoy, because it takes time, and the way our economy is booming, how we got out of recession – are due to her expertise, her commitment, her sacrifice.

    “There is nothing in this world that will make me remove such a woman from the government. The PDP can weep from now until there is no tear in their body; she is going to be there. We cannot afford to lose that woman.”

    Asked if it was not an offence to skip NYSC, Sagay said: “Who cares about youth service? I don’t bloody care whether she did youth service or not. It’s irrelevant as far as I am concerned.”

    On the allegation that she forged an exemption certificate, the PACAC chairman said: “I don’t believe it. I don’t see anything serious about not doing youth service. I don’t see anything serious about it. That’s my own bias, not government’s.

    “I’m telling you now. If you ask me – If I were President Buhari, I would never, ever touch that woman because she’s damn good.

    “The enemies of this government want to reduce his capacity to provide good governance by engaging in social media attacks and trying to get rid of her. It will not work.”

  • Corruption ratings: Transparency International report erroneous – Sagay

    The chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) on Thursday faulted the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI) describing it as ‘erroneous’.

    The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

    While Nigeria scored 27/100 and was ranked 136th in 2016, the latest CPI scores Nigeria 28/100.

    It ranks 148 out of 180 countries surveyed —12 places below where it was the previous year.

    Sagay said corruption was perceived to still be high because of frequent revelations of acts of graft.

    According to him, TI misinterpreted the fact that acts of corruption were being exposed on daily basis.

    He said: “Transparency International is making a major error. It is confused between the actual level of corruption and the level of revelation of acts of corruption. Corruption was worse than now.

    “But, because of the activities of the anti-corruption agencies, particularly the EFCC, virtually no day passes without one act of corruption or the other being revealed.

    “To someone who is just relying on statistics of what is revealed, it’d seem that corruption is increasing. In fact, it is decreasing, because those that are revealed involve prosecution of suspects or forfeiture of assets.

    “Corruption is being dealt with. So, that’s the error there.”

    PACAC Executive Secretary Prof Bolaji Owasanoye said the index relies on public opinion, but that fighting corruption was an ongoing process.

    “The way the study is conducted is that public opinion is sought on perception,” he said.

    According to him, people may perceive corruption as being high because of low conviction rate.

    “They have not seen people in jail, but of course that is a process that cannot be short-circuited, and all manner of reforms are going on around that,” Owasanoye said.

    In a similar vein, the Special Assistant on Prosecution to the President, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, described the report as a “sham” which does not reflect the reality.

    “Indication cannot be the reality. Those reports are based on assumptions and sometimes they are not true. Are we not fighting corruption? We cannot kill people. Do they expect us to slaughter everybody before they know that this government is fighting corruption?

  • You were desperate for third term; Buhari also deserves re-election, Sagay replies Obasanjo

    You were desperate for third term; Buhari also deserves re-election, Sagay replies Obasanjo

    The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Itse Sagay, has said former President Obasanjo who was desperate for a third term in office in 2003 does not have the audacity to stop/advice President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek reelection if he so pleases in 2019.

    The presidential aid also described Obasanjo’s criticism of Buhari’s performance in office as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘insulting’.

    Recall that Obasanjo had in a statement released Tuesday urged the president not to seek re-election, saying he has performed below par since assuming office.

    The former president lambasted President Buhari, saying he should willingly decline calls for him to seek re-election from ‘sycophants’.

    However, in a swift reaction, Mr. Sagay accused Mr. Obasanjo of hypocrisy, saying the former president pursued a third term when he was in power.

    Speaking to The Nation newspaper, Mr. Sagay expressed surprise at the content of Mr. Obasanjo’s letter, adding that then former president should learn to ‘respect other people’.

    “I saw Obasanjo’s comments and I could not believe my eyes, that a man who tried to get a third term is discouraging someone else from getting a second term. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

    “I think Obasanjo should try and respect other people. He has achieved a lot. He is a great man and I respect him. But he should learn to respect other people and think of them as being, at least, as good as himself.

    “I think it is insulting for a man who wanted third term to tell somebody else not to want second term. It is most inappropriate, and for a former head of state to say so is most improper.”

    Mr. Obasanjo had in 2013 written a similar letter to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and later dramatically supervised the destruction of his membership card of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

    However, the presidency and the ruling APC are yet to reply Mr. Obasanjo’s letter as both presidential spokespersons have a maintained ‘a no comment’ stance on the matter.

  • Dead appointees: ‘Buhari can’t be knocking doors to ask who was dead or alive’ Sagay chides critics

    Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) chairman Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) yesterday condemned those criticising President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for naming dead men among board appointees.

    Sagay said the outrage amounts to making a mountain out of a molehill.

    The professor of law said he was even angry with the Presidency for appearing to be apologetic over the development.

    Sagay in an interview with The Nation said, “What I find irritating is the so-called outrage by the Nigerian elite that in a list of almost 3,000 people nominated for various agencies, five or six had died.

    “And there is a general pretence by the Nigerian elite that it was of huge, monumental importance; that it shows incompetence and all that.

    “I ask myself: a list that has been under compilation for over two years, revised and re-revised, do they expect that about 3,000 people would all still be alive after two years?

    “If not, do they expect the Presidency to go knocking from door to door 24 hours before the announcement to ask who was dead or alive, or to ask if they would survive until the announcement? Are they supposed to have done that?

    “So, the whole thing (criticisms) is extremely unreasonable.”

    Sagay said the critics reminded him of Lilliput and Blefuscu, fictional island nations that appear in the first part of the 1726 novel, Gulliver’s Travel,by Jonathan Swift.

    “In the book, the nations are inhabited by tiny people who are about one-twelfth the height of ordinary humans. They went to war. What did they go to war for?

    “Lilliput believes an egg should be broken from the small end before it is eaten, while Belfuscu believes it should be broken from the big end.

    “This gives the impression that the Nigerian elite are filled with Lilliputians, who quarrel over nothing and ignore major issues of importance. And I call this collective stupidity and idleness of the mind,” Sagay said.

    Asked if the Presidency should not have verified the list and ensured the appointees were ready, and whether he was absolving the Presidency of blame completely, Sagay said: “I am absolving them of every blame.

    “And I am very annoyed with the Presidency for looking apologetic over it. As I said, we’re talking about 3,000 people.

    “At what stage should they be checking? Can they verify 3,000 names in 24 hours? Suppose they do it one week before announcement and someone died in-between? Is it their fault too?

    “So, since nobody can guarantee life, out of 3,000 within two years, there is nothing unreasonable about that.

    “Those vacancies will be filled, and Nigerians should stop quarrelling over nothing and start taking on more important things. They should not behave like idle minds.”

  • Trouble in APC fold: Party blasts Buhari’s corruption adviser, Sagay calls him ‘rogue elephant’

    The national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress has lambasted Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) describing him as a ‘rogue elephant.’

    The party’s publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this in a statement he issued on Monday.

    The APC says it is responding to an interview Mr. Sagay granted The Nation’s newspaper where he criticized the leadership of the fold as “running riot and destroying the party.”

    Read full statement below:

    TO SAGAY: YOU ARE THE ROGUE ELEPHANT

    Our attention has been brought to an interview published on pages 46-47 of The Nation Newspaper of Sunday, September 24, 2017, granted by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN).

    In the said interview, Sagay described the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “the most unprincipled group of people” who are “encouraging and accepting rogues” in the party. He said: “When I say ‘rogues’, I don’t mean stealing. In literature, when you say someone is a rogue elephant, it means people who are running riot and destroying the party.”

    The Webster dictionary defines ‘rogue elephant’ as “one whose behaviour resembles that of a rogue elephant in being aberrant or independent.” Clearly if we have today, anyone in our government or, by extension, the party who feels accountable only to his own ego; who does not feel the need to bridle his tongue for the sake of anything that is higher than himself; who feels independent of everyone and every institution; that person is Professor Sagay.

    Asked by the interviewer if he would stop speaking if the President asks him to stop speaking, he said: “Yes, he is my employer. If he tells me to stop talking, I’ll stop talking. But I have certain rights too that I can exercise in addition to that, because I’m not going to be in a position where I am impotent. So, I must obey him, but I can go beyond that and obey myself too. That’s it.” Framed in another way, what Sagay is saying here is that, no matter what is at stake, he would rather resign than obey the President if the President tries to restrain him. This is the quintessential rogue elephant behaviour.

    In his sheer arrogance, he forgets that it is impossible for him to call out the leadership of the party as “weak” and “unprincipled” without indicting the President, who is the leader of the party and has the fundamental responsibility to build the party. If Sagay had any iota of respect for the man who dug him back from inevitable oblivion and puts him in a position in which he now feels superior to everyone, he would channel his opinions and advice to the President on how to make the party stronger and more principled. It appears however that Sagay does not have anything constructive to say about anything. He only knows how to tear down and assault everyone and everything.

    We want to remind Sagay and all other appointees of our government that the only reason they occupy their current position today is because the APC won the election. There is, therefore, a matter of honour to show decorum and respect for the party and its leadership. You cannot love the fruit and hate the tree that produced it.

    SIGNED:

    Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi

    National Publicity Secretary

    All Progressives Congress (APC)

  • APC is a failure – Sagay

    …backs DHQ for declaring IPOB a terrorists organisation

    …blasts Senate for outrageous allowances

    The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) on Monday said the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, leadership is weak, and has failed in its responsibilities.

    Sagay who spoke in an interview with The Nation on Monday said the APC leadership had resorted to begging people who are destroying the party, because they dont want to ‘annoy’ such people.

    In his words: “As for the leadership of the APC, I think they are the most unprincipled group of people. They are lily-livered, weak, and cannot run any organisation. The whole party is collapsing under them. They cannot control anybody.

    “In fact, they’re now encouraging and accepting ‘rogue elephants’, pampering people who are destroying the party, saying ‘let’s not annoy them too much’, but they’re destroying the APC house.

    “So, I think the APC leadership is weak, is too compromising and is certainly a failure as far as I’m concerned.”

    The vocal legal luminary also backed the military’s declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.

    According to him, even if the group wanted secession, there were better ways of doing it than using abusive language and stoking violence, which he accused IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu of.

    He said: “Whilst I’m not sure of the legal parameters of that declaration, in practice, I agree. If you look at it, we’re very lucky that this thing did not get out of hand.

    “They (IPOB) were coming in their thousands, establishing road blocks, bringing out Northerners – for what, I don’t know – to kill some of them? If that is allowed, then the country is finished. Then they burned down a police station, killed a policeman.

    “For Christ’s sake, even if you want Biafra, you don’t have to be violent. If you look at the words that Kanu uses on the social media, how he has described our President and the rest of us as living in a zoo – abusive, violent, intemperate words – kill, kill, kill, all those in my view, constitute in totality acts of terrorism in which they can push undiscerning youths into rage and violence, which can be destructive.

    “You saw Moslems seeking protection in Port Harcourt. If you start killing Northerners and the North reacts, then we’ve had it.

    “I just thank God that the North is showing some maturity and some sense of restraint while this is being curbed. But we really need to curb IPOB, otherwise they will turn this country into a tinderbox.”

    Sagay said he would not stop expressing his views on issues of national importance despite the Senate asking President Buhari to call him to order.

    When reminded that the All Progressives Congress (APC) also once cautioned him about his criticisms of the National Assembly, the law professor described the party’s leadership as “a failure”.

    Sagay said the war against corruption could not be won without committed judges.

    He accused some judges of “deliberately” sabotaging the crusade by obstructing justice.

    “We are very concerned about the judiciary. Without the judiciary, we can kiss the anti-corruption war goodbye. We must have a committed judiciary, otherwise they will keep messing up any case that comes. It’s so easy to give a reason, which will appear to be reasonable, and the public will say the anti-corruption agencies have not done their homework. It’s not so.

    “Quite a number of the judges are deliberately taking decisions which I’d say indicate their hostility to the anti-corruption war. There are judges who are hostile. There are judges who interfere when such cases are going on, using their position to ensure that government loses.

    “Government is aware of all this. It’s just that some of us are not in a position to take decisions. People who should be stopped are slipping through and still being relevant when in fact they should be pushed aside into retirement where they will not interfere in the anti-corruption struggle.

    “There are reports on these judges, some by the Department of State Services (DSS). I feel that judges who are not committed to the eradication of corruption should be eased out of the system,” Sagay said.

    Sagay said he stood by his assertion that the Senate was self-centered and unsupportive of the anti-graft war.

    “One of the most critical Bills pending before them – the Special Crimes Court Bill – was yet to be passed,” he said.

    The PACAC chairman said it was rather the Senate that owed him an apology for abusing him for speaking the truth.

    “I didn’t abuse them. I merely said they’re not committed to the Nigerian people, that they’re there for themselves alone. I provided the figures to show it. I know the worse exists.

    “There are certain things I didn’t say. I did not even mention what the Majority Leader, Deputy Senate President and Senate President get as extras. Those extras run into hundreds of millions of naira. What I said at that lecture is a tip of the iceberg.

    “Our aim is for the National Assembly to finally admit that they’re frittering away our national assets and preventing these funds from being used for various other vital sectors to create more employment and fix infrastructure.

    “If you recall, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Lamido Sanusi said they were consuming 25 per cent of our budget. They didn’t deny it. Instead, former President Jonathan forced Sanusi out.

    “If we look at the senators’ allowances, we should ask ourselves questions. Should we be the ones clothing senators? Should my tax be used in hanging agbada on a senator?

    “How many times has government provided clothes for workers? But these men who are overpaid are still asking us to clothe them as if they arrived in Abuja naked.

    ”These same people ask us to pay them hardship allowance for doing their job. What of the man who is earning N18,000 a month, who operates machinery and sweeps the streets? No one pays them hardship allowance!”

    “Yet, people who live in tremendous luxury get paid hardship allowance running into billions. Why are Nigerians quiet about it? I don’t understand it,” Sagay said.

    On the Senate’s refusal to confirm Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu, Sagay said it was the President’s exclusive prerogative to decide how long he remains in office.

    “Magu can act indefinitely. The Senate does not have jurisdiction in this matter. It is the President who does because of Section 171 of the Constitution. This government is being a bit gentle, not wanting to ruffle feathers. Maybe that’s why they’re politicians and in government.

    “If people like me who are not politicians were there, these people (senators) would have heard a different message. I’d have rammed things through and damned them to go and do whatever they like, and let’s see who would come on top.

    “I believe that ultimately, righteousness, a good cause, a belief in principle will prevail. We’re dealing with people who are undergoing all sorts of investigations; they cannot face the righteous.”

     

  • NASS members are locusts, they want to suck our resources dry – Sagay

    The row between the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) and the National Assembly is far from being over as he (Sagay) has again lashed out at the National Assembly describing them as “a merciless and ruthless organisation” with no value.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Sagay made remarks at the Hallmarks of Labncour Foundation Reunion Symposium held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Sagay recently lambasted the lawmakers over what he described as their ‘outrageous allowances.’

    Speaking in Lagos on Thursday, Sagay said Nigerian senators should not be addressed as “distinguished” because they have no honour, vision, and integrity.

    Sagay noted that the senators were simply out to ”totally suck out the blood of Nigeria for themselves because they behave like locusts.”

    “They have no mercy, they have no conscience; they simply want to behave like locust just to finish everything within their environment for themselves. That’s totally unacceptable and I’m not going to relent on this thing (criticism),” he said.

    “Look at the allowance they take, forget the amount. Why would a whole Senator collect money for his wardrobe? Is he naked? Does a labourer, who is taking just N18,000 a month, get it? He’s the one who needs the money for wardrobe allowance.

    “But these opulent, rich, super-rich people are still collecting from you and me to clothe themselves; they’re collecting money from you and me to buy newspapers; they said they’re suffering hardship by working inside chambers that are fully air-conditioned with luxurious cushions, with people serving them left, right and centre, with food and drinks available.”

    According to him, government ”could distribute the loot that constitutes these allowances among poor Nigerians.”

    He said: “If you ask them what is their income they will tell you they’re earning a salary which is taxable, which is very little – about one to two million (Naira) a month.

    “They will never talk about those allowances which bring their income into tens of millions. We haven’t come near what senators and House of Representatives people are really taking.

    “We are talking about allowances; there are many other secret things that they are taking that have not been exposed. If you go to that gentleman (Abdulmumin Jibrin) who was suspended from the House of Representatives last year, he has a huge story to tell of the billions that nobody knows about that they’re collecting. So there will be no rest until there is justice.”

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that Abdullahi Sabi, the spokesperson of the Nigerian senate, had criticised the utterances of the lawyer, stressing that the Nigerian government lost many corruption cases due to Sagay’s failure to function properly as the government’s anti-corruption adviser.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the National Assembly is yet to react to Sagay’s latest outburst against them.