The House is also concerned about media reports of massive corruption and outright embezzlement of funds meant for the execution of the programme’s objectives.

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the alleged embezzlement of  the money  allocated to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

The resolution was reached at the plenary on Wednesday when the lawmakers unanimously adopted a motion moved by Mr Tajudeen Obasa, entitled, ‘Urgent Need to Investigate the Fraudulent Activities in the Presidential Amnesty Programme.’

The House resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations made by Obasa and report back within two weeks for further legislative action.

Obasa said, “The House is informed that since the proclamation of the Amnesty Programme, the Federal Government has spent a lot of resources  training many youths in the  area (Niger Delta), both locally and internationally; and recently, the Federal Government paid  N8.5bn into the Presidential Amnesty Programme’s TSA account for the execution of this lofty idea.

“The House is concerned with  media reports and  an outcry of massive looting at the Kaiama Amnesty Centre between 14 and 16 February, where security officials and unknown persons were alleged to have carted away equipment worth billions of naira in the Starter Pack Warehouse, allegedly to the knowledge of the Special Adviser on Amnesty to the President.

“The House is also concerned about media reports of massive corruption and outright embezzlement of funds meant for the execution of the programme’s objectives, hence it has become imperative to investigate these allegations for the good of Niger Delta people and the nation at large.”

The House also on Wednesday asked that the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, be fired  as Chairman of the Sugar Road Map Monitoring Committee of the Federal Government.

The decision followed the unanimous adoption of the report of  the Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate the Low Concessionary Tariff Given to Companies by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment on Sugar Importation into the Country from 2013 to 2016.

Approving the recommendations of the committee, the lawmakers resolved that, “The Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment be removed as the Chairman of the Sugar Road Map Monitoring Committee.”

They also called for the Sugar Road Map Monitoring Committee to be  moved to the Office of the Vice-President, with the committee meeting twice in a year under the chairmanship of the VP.

Other approved recommendations are that the Nigeria Customs Service,  Standards Organisation of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and  Consumer Protection Council  should “re-engineer procedures/operations to mop up smuggled sugar from warehouses and retail outlets in major cities and in the North-West, particularly Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto states”.

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