Subsidy probe: Lawmakers seek power to prosecute

Posted by admin House, Legislature, Oil Politics, Senate Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Some federal lawmakers from Ekiti State have said reports of different probe panels set up by the National Assembly will always be left to gather dust as long as the legislators lack the power to prosecute those indicted.

The senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Mr. Olu Adetumbi, stated the position of the lawmakers in an interview with journalists at Iyin-Ekiti on Friday.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, also corroborated the position.

The lawmakers said the report by the panel set up by the House of Representatives to probe subsidy paid by the Federal Government to fuel importers might not be acted upon.

Lack of the power to prosecute, they said, had turned the lawmakers to toothless bulldogs that could bark but not bite.

They stated that no action had been taken on the report of the senate committee which probed the sales of public property, adding that many other reports before the report on Bureau of Public Enterprise had since been abandoned.

Adetumbi said, “If the probe instituted by the National Assembly will have any bite, we have to work on our constitution to give the assembly the power to prosecute.

“There is nothing the assembly can do to prosecute those who have defrauded the nation because we do not have the power to prosecute. The power of prosecution lies with the executive.

“A constitution amendment should take care of this. It will be better for the nation if we are empowered by the constitution to prosecute those who have been indicted in any report.”

Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Federal Central Constituency I at the lower legislative chamber, also urged Nigerians to join the legislators to advocate this.

He said this would assist the nation in its efforts to tackle corruption which he said had stunted the development of the country.

According to him, the protests against the removal of subsidy have ended but the “debate is still on.”

While tasking the executive on fiscal discipline, Bamidele said subsidy removal was not the only option available for the executive arm of government.

-Punchwp_posts