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The Coalition of Civil Society Organization for Justice and Equity (CCSO-JE) has called on the National Assembly to immediately prosecution the three national assembly senior officers, Okpara Micheal Nnaechi, the secretary planning and legislative budget, Dauda Ibrahim El-ladan, Clerk Senate and Adebanjo Anthony, secretary special duties over the falsification of Official records.
This was revealed on Monday during a press briefing by Chief Convener
Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Justice and Equity+CCSO-JE, Comrade Olayemi Success.
The group expressed their heavily bruised heart on the shameless but determined inability of the authorities of the Legislative arm of governmrnt to proceed with disciplinary actions against the Officers as contained in the Conditions of service in the National Assembly Service.
Part of the text reads:
The COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS FOR JUSTICE AND EQUITY (CCSO-JE) has been following on this case since October, 2021 based on petitions by a sister NGOs to the Political leadership of the National Assembly, Chairman and the Commissioners at the National Assembly Service Commission as well as the Clerk to the National Assembly.
FACTS OF THE CASE
In an earlier petitions dated November 16, 2021 by Masalaha Law and Associates, where the leadership of the legislative arm of government were accused for failing to apply the right procedure in suspending the alleged Officers as soon as they were charged before the Federal High Court, Abuja on 21st October, 2021. We considered this as a flagrant abuse of office by the National Assembly Service Commission for condoning naked and gross misconduct by their ‘favorite Officers’ which is nothing but tantamount to aiding and abetting in the act of corruption; criminal forgery; and falsification of official records in the National Assembly of the Federation.
We argued that if the National Assembly could fold its arms and fail to send the accused individuals who falsified and forged official records to where they belong, it is a dent to the anti-corruption toga of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
A further report was written by the National Assembly as requested by the Nigeria Police dated November 22, 2020, issuing a Certified True Copy (CTC)and having received the CTC as mentioned above, the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of the Nigeria Police wrote another letter requesting the release of the above named persons (Staff), dated the 27th November, 2020, acknowledged received by the office of Clerk of National Assembly on the 2nd December, 2020.
However, to the surprise and consternation of the entire staff of the National Assembly and the world at large, nothing was ever heard of this matter again, a situation which has emboldened the above named persons (Staff) and which may unquestionably set a bad precedence for all and sundry.
In the petition, it categorically stated that it is both illegal and unconstitutional to falsify record and or commit forgery by not just any Public Officer but more so in the law making arm of the society…if allowed unchecked this will further entrench the rumors that Nigeria is fast becoming the capital of corruption in the world.
Ladies and gentlemen, does this not make mockery and contradict the public perception of the National Assembly which the President of Senate was battling to correct at the public lecture organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies on Monday, 13th of December,2021?
We were also bewildered and justifiably miffed even in the face of the above indictment against the above named persons (Staff), they are now individually ‘boasting of how they bribed’ their way into sitting on an indictment of this great proportion. Is the BRIBERY not confirmed by the Chairman and the Commissioners of the National Assembly Service Commission?
The COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS FOR JUSTICE AND EQUITY (CCSO-JE) stated further that as a concerned party now lives in justifiable awe of further watching the disintegration of the Country’s moral and principles urging the Chairman, and the Commissioners, National Assembly Service Commission as well as the Clerk to the National Assembly to wade in and comply with the Law before it becomes an international embarrassment.
We are therefore constrained to Inform you and the whole world today to note and understand the alleged criminal forgery and falsification of official records by the Clerk, Senate and the 2 Secretaries of the National Assembly in collaboration with the National Assembly Service Commission charged with the primary purpose of Recruitment, Appointment, Promotion and Discipline. The world is invited to the following questions which the Chairman and the Commissioners, National Assembly Service Commission as well as the Clerk to the National Assembly should address in order to exonerate themselves:
The questionable characters of the Clerk of the Senate and the two Secretaries (MICHAEL, EL-LADAN AND ADEMOLA) who are involved in this matter will certainly put the integrity of the 2022 budget into question. If the Clerk of Senate and the Permanent Secretary in charge of Legislative Budget in the National Assembly are involved in this alleged criminal act of forgery and falsification of official records, how do we trust the figures computed into the 2022 Appropriation Bill of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
The Conditions of service of the National Assembly Service Commission Section 03216 is very clear on what ought to be done in the event that a prima facie case of gross misconduct is established against a public servant. Why did the Chairman and the Commissioners as well as the Clerk to the National Assembly, if they are not partners in the alleged forgery/crime, refused or failed to invoke the relevant section in the Conditions of service in the National Assembly Service? There is certainly more to it than meet the eyes.
We hereby challenged the President of Senate; Chairman and the Commissioners to as a matter of urgent public importance to absolve themselves by immediately invoking section 03216(a)(i-iii) as quoted below or face mass public protest and the international Community:
a. An officer shall be suspended by the commission from the exercise of the powers and functions of his office and from the enjoyment of his salary where;
(i) a prima facie case of misconduct, the nature of which is consider serious by the commission has been established against him and it is considered in the interest of the service that he should forthwith be prohibited from carrying on his duties; or a prima facie case of misconduct, the nature of which is considered serious by the commission has been established against him and it is considered in the interest of the service that he should forthwith be prohibited from carrying on his duties; or
(ii) a prima facie case of conduct prejudicial to the interest and security of the service has been established; or
(iii) the officer has been charge with a criminal offence (other than a minor traffic offence and like) suspension in this instance shall be from date that the officer is charge in court”.
The primary official secret record (ie Kalamazoo/Ledger) has been brought and tabled before the Committee on Establishment of the National Assembly Service Commission where the real age of the accused has been revealed. So, why is the Chairman; and the Commissioners drag footing , if not collusion?
We are reliably aware of a Sub-Committee on Establishment report of the National Assembly Service Commission, which has indicted the accused persons and for the sake of fair hearing has given them the privilege of seven days to write to the Commission on the alleged falsification of their age if they have superior evidence that contradicts that of the primary source of KALAMAZOO/LEDGER RECORD.
OUR DEMANDS:
We unequivocally demand that the report and their defense be made public and also an action should be taken in order to send a signal to other that may be planning to perpetuate same crime. We chose to remind the National Assembly that its integrity is at stake again after its immediate past management was flushed out impromptu due to the same allegations of age falsification that rocked the management to its foundation.
Closely linked to the above , We are passionately calling on the Clerk to the National Assembly who is the Chief Accounting and Administrative Officer of National Assembly; Chairman and the Commissioners at the National Assembly Service Commission to preserve the integrity and sanctity of National Assembly by invoking the “spirit and letter” of Condition of Service (July 2020) in the National Assembly Service without further delay in order to exonerate themselves of any form of culpability.
The National Assembly Service Commission should once be seen to discharge their primary and fundamental responsibility for which the Commission was established with immediate effect on the alleged falsification of official records by the accused. We demand that the Chairman, the Commissioners and the Clerk to the National Assembly stop covering up any form of illegality within the service of the National Assembly.
More importantly, we sternly warn the Senate President, Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan to stop interfering with the matter that has to do with civil service and he should allow the Law to take its course. We have reliable information that the Senate President has been doing everything within his power, to cover and protect the accused persons for his inordinate ambition of pocketing the National Assembly Service Commission as evidenced in the referral made to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. This is contemptuous.
With a much troubled and wounded spirit, we are using this medium to strongly appeal to the fathers and mothers of this country; the Nigerian and the international press not to sell their conscience until justice prevail.
Further to the above, we call on President Buhari to immediately call Mr Lawan to order so that the glaring case of corruption and criminal falsification of official records in the National Assembly does not tannish his image and that of his administration.
The Nigeria Bar Association(NBA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (I CAN) are hereby challenged not only to fish out these kind of elements with criminal tendencies and records within their folds but should be professionally sanctioned in line with the ethics of their respective professions. The Disciplinary Committees of the two professional bodies should emulate the National Judicial Commission (NJC) by not waiting for any petition before doing the needful without further delay. Else, the two professions stand to be ridiculed if her members could be involved in the alleged forgery and criminal falsification of official records. The Elderly gentlemen of the BAR and BENCH should be alive to their judicial responsibility without any fear or favour.
Finally, we also seek justice and the uphold of the rule of law in this particular case.
A stitch in time saves nine if the integrity and image of our dear father’s land is to be sanitized.