Setting up probe panels and even commissions of enquiry to look into public issues or the activities of government agencies is not new in the country. Even during the colonial era, a lot of such were set up and during military regimes too, such developments took place.
In Nigeria, State House of Assemblies can set up panels to look into the activities of ministries, agencies and departments in each state. In the current dispensation, the 1999 Constitution, in Section 88 (2) gave the oversight function over government agencies at the federal level to the Senate to exercise.
The oversight function is to check the abuse of due process by government departments and agencies in contract awards and executions and to ensure strict compliance with extant laws of the country especially in the application of public funds.
Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, the Senate of the Federal Republic has set up countless number of panels to probe various agencies of government.
The sixth Senate, during the tenure of Senator David Mark as the Senate President, some probes were carried out. The first probe was that of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. It followed complaints from the people against the then Minister of the FCT, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai because of his demolition of houses. The Senator representing Nasarawa West and Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, late Senator Abubakar Sodangi was saddled with the responsibility of investigating the FCT administration between 1999 and 2007.
Complaints against El-Rufai were that his drive to clean up the FCT, rendered many people homeless through demolition of houses, evictions and land revocations, with other claims of several deaths resulting from the shock.
When El- Rufai appeared before the Committee, he denied the allegations and backed his action with the law where he explained that all the houses demolished violated the FCT building plans.
At the end of the day, Senator Sodangi submitted the report that sought among others, to ban El- Rufai from public office. It was first rejected on technical grounds, and later accepted by the Senate. After the exercise, most of the recommendations were not implemented. The expectations of compensation by those who lost their houses and lands during the period were also dashed.
In the 6th Senate, there was the probe of the transport sector following a motion by late Senator Ayogu Eze who represented Enugu North. He said that the probe was necessary because of the deplorable conditions of road infrastructure which led to numerous deaths, despite the over N1 trillion that was spent at the sector by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The present Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri who represented Bayelsa West was the Chairman of the probe Committee, just as he summoned the former Ministers of Works during the period under investigation, late Chief Tony Anenih and Adeseye Ogunlewe.
The investigative probe was headed by Senator Heinekin Lokpobiri. In the course of the probe powerful figures in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, including Chief Tony Anenih were summoned by the Committee.
Anenih was alleged to have collected over N300 billion for road projects, but the continued bad states of the roads did not portray the huge investments by government. The probe indicted him of non judicious expedition of the money, but the report was left lying fallow by government, while the Committee went on sitting for many months.
At the end of the day, when Anenih and Mark who were not on the same page prior to the setting up of the Committee reconciled, the report of that committee never saw the light of the day as it gathered dust.
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Another probe in the 6th Senate was the Aviation sector probe because of the alleged misuse of the N19.5 billion safe Tower Project for major airports in Nigeria. Thereafter, the then Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, late Senator Anyim Ude who represented Ebonyi South was asked to head the probe.
There were revelations that two former ministers and some officials of the Ministry of Aviation overreached themselves by inflating contracts for the projects. One of the Ministers was also alleged to have awarded a contract for perimeter fencing for an airport at N506 million.
At the end of the day, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC took over the investigation at some point by arresting the former Ministers, Professor Babalola Borishade and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode over allegations of fraud and thereafter, nothing was heard of the probe after that.
Another controversial probe was that of food crisis in the country, with then Senator Idris Wada, Gombe Central as Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, instead of the Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, late Tawar Wada, Gombe South because of allegations that he could not be “trusted” to do the “job”.
It was gathered then that the probe was for some Senators to deal with the then Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abba Ruma. The Committee invited many stakeholders from the agriculture sector to explain the drop in food production in the country. Awards of contracts for the construction of silos across the country were also investigated. During the investigation, it was discovered that contractors did not even know the project sites after collecting mobilisation, just as there were stories of heavy equipment that were stolen by thieves from site. It was also revealed how grains stored for the market in times of shortages were distributed to prominent Nigerians including emirs and chiefs.
The Senate also mandated the panel to probe the N300 billion spent under the Obasanjo administration on fertiliser procurement and distribution. Yet with all the startling revelations in the course of the probe and after months of sittings, and traveling across Nigeria, the sixth Senate was not able to debate the report of the Committee.
After the expensive probes, the reports and recommendations of the completed probes were largely ignored.
In the Seventh Senate still under David Mark, there were probes of the Oil and Gas, education, works and the economy sectors among others. The probes included investigative hearing on sale of government enterprises by the Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE; the Fuel subsidy probe; probe of the administration of pension scheme; and investigative hearing on the post-Universities Matriculations Examination.
There were probes of the new vehicle number plates and drivers’ license introduced by the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC; a hearing on the financial status of state governments; investigative hearing on dwindling state of sports;, and the outbreak of cholera in the country.
At the commencement of each probe, the then President of the Senate always insisted on accountability and fairness as he was always quick to diffuse any claim of the probes being charades orchestrated by the Senate to win public sympathy.
For instance, during probe of the Sports sector, Mark who had complained about the rot in the system and the open corruption that has taken over the Nigerian sports federation, said, “Sport has been a very serious business that is of national interest. Olympic is coming and I am not sure whether we have got our team ready. We have failed woefully; corruption is not just financial corruption alone even the way the players were brought in is another form of corruption.”
Also on the BPE probe, recommendations were adopted, with same forwarded to the executive for implementation, the status of the fuel subsidy probe remained a mystery.
The last that was heard about the probe of the management of the N1.3 trillion fuel subsidy scheme by the Senator Magnus Abe-led Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) was a summon issued to the then Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
At best, the subsidy probe remained inconclusive, even though attempts were made by the committee to tell Nigerians that it meant business before it went into limbo.
In the pension probe by the joint Senate Committee on Establishment, States and Local Government, heart breaking issues of corruption by civil servants came to fore.
The probe was full of tales of how billions of naira were either siphoned or mismanaged by civil servants in the Police Pension office and the office of the Head of Service of the Federation. From all indications, it appeared to be the only one that yielded results. Five civil servants and a permanent secretary in the office of the Head of Service of the Federation fingered to have corruptly taken N32.8 billion from the Police Pension fund were remanded in prison custody by an Abuja High Court.
Then, there were allegations of outside interference with regard to the subsidy probe, thereby putting its work on hold, just as there was an unconfirmed report which alleged that pressure groups moved round the National Assembly, apparently to lobby Senators.
During the time of Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly between 2015 to 2019, there were several probes which included that of Senator Dino Melaye, PDP, Kogi West led Ad-Hoc Committee on alleged Economic waste in Nigerian Customs Service, NIS with this, the then Comptroller-General of NIS, Hameed Ali was summoned severally and at the end of the hullabaloo, with the issue of him not wearing uniform became what overshadowed the probe and at the end, nothing came out of it.
There were probes on N298 million SUV linked to Saraki , the Senator Dino Melaye Certificate scam, Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Danladi Umar and that of the then Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.
There was also a probe panel where the Senate Committee on Local Content under the Chairmanship of Senator Olamilekan Adeola, APC, then Lagos West, now Ogun West was to investigate how $3bn Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO), Egina Project under construction by the Total Upstream Nigeria Limited became $16bn.
Adeola while summoning the Chief Executive Officer of BP oil limited, Mr. Robert Dudley, said the move became imperative following complaints from a Nigerian firm, Alsaa Gas and Shipping Nigeria Limited, AGSN, on a $3.3 billion pre-financing crude oil contract, a probable infraction of the NOGICD Act 2010 and possible fraudulent acts against a Nigerian firm might have occurred.
The probe like others lingered for years and at the end of the day, no result.
There was also a probe where an Ad-Hoc Committee was set up to investigate alleged fraudulent Practices of former Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Kptum Idris where the Senate set up an eight-member Adhoc Committee to investigate allegations of corruption, nepotism, and misuse of office levelled against the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, by then Senator Isah Misau,,APC, Bauchi Central.
The Committee, chaired by the then Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena (APC, Edo North), had as members Senators Joshua Lidani, PDP, Gombe South; Binta Masi Garba, APC, Adamawa North; Suleiman Hunkuyi, APC, Kaduna North and Nelson Effiong (APC, Akwa Ibom South). Others were Obinna Ogba, PDP, Ebonyi Central); Duro Faseyi, PDP, Ekiti and Abdulaziz Murtala Nyako, Adamawa. The Committee was also to investigate the IGP on alleged misappropriation of funds, illegal promotion, posting of senior officers and claims that he impregnated a female police officer.
The decisions of the Senate were sequel to a point of order raised by Senator Isa Misau, APC, Bauchi Central during plenary when he accused the then Inspector- General of Police of diverting funds meant for the purchase of Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs, to buy luxury vehicles. At the end of the, no result from the probe.
In the ninth Senate during ten period of Senator Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North, there was this celebrated Senate probe of Alleged Financial Recklessness In the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC where he had explained why the Senate took the decision to carry out the investigation, saying the allegations of financial recklessness and misappropriation of funds levelled against the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC were unacceptable. This was when the present President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio was the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs at the time.
Lawan who stressed the need for the prudent application of public funds by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government (MDAs), saying the same had become imperative in view of scarce income at the disposal of the Federal Government, said, “Financial recklessness is not an attribute that anyone can afford, whether rich or poor. It is even worse with the poor, or for the organisation or a country with limited resources.”
After the probe, what was next was that of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) for alleged N61.1 billion diversion, probe of N1.8 trillion intervention fund in power sector, investigation of $30 billion alleged revenue leakage from payments on account of foreign currency denominated contracts by companies.
Upon assumption of office, the current President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio began with the setting up of Ad-hoc Committees to carry out holistic investigations into MDAs as he set up an ad-hoc Committee to probe the sum of N30 Trillion Ways and Means facilities granted the Federal Government at different times from 2014 to 2023 by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).The N30 trillion Ways and Means was the facility expended by former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023.
The Committee which has the Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs and Excise Duties, Senator Isa Jibrin, APC, Kogi East as Chairman was set up early last year, just as Akpabio charged the Committee members not to leave any stone unturned as they must go after those involved.
Four months after the Committee was set up, the Senate approved additional two months for it to complete its work and by next month, it will be one year old and no news from there.
On July 3, 2024, Senate President Akpabio resolved to engage in another probe of the oil and gas sector over alleged gross abuse and against this backdrop, he set up a 15-member Ad- hoc Committee to carry out a holistic investigation into alleged sabotage in the oil sector sequel to a motion: “Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry” sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, APC, Cross River-South.
The Committee is chaired by Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central. Bamidele and members of his Committee were then asked to beam the searchlight on the entire industry and unravel alleged growing cases of malpractices, weak regulation or failure to comply with industry rules and regulations, in spite of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA.
It is on record that since the discovery of oil in commercial quantities, the sector has remained the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy with an estimated revenue of over $741.48 billion between 1999 and 2020. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, said that from 2011 to 2022, oil sector revenue was $394.02bn.
In 2021, the annual oil revenue was $23.046bn, up by 13% from the N$20.43bn generated the previous year. Available statistics also indicate that as of July 2022, oil sales commanded 80% of the country’s total export revenue and adding up to 8.79% to its GDP.
It has also been recorded that due to crude theft and vandalism of installations, it has led to a daily loss of around 800,000 barrels per day, The July 2023 oil revenue stood at N1.6trillion (around $3.6bn).
Last September, Senator Bamidele disclosed that the Joint National Assembly ad-hoc committee on the sabotage in the oil and gas sector of the nation’s economy, would be formally inaugurated at both chambers where a joint probe has been settled for.
It is now eight months after the Committee was set up when the Chairman and Senate Leader said, “No sacred cows. We are going to approach the assignment on a note of integrity for our nation, our future and for our own sake. There’ll be no sacred cows or any form of protection for anyone”. He added that even if a senator was found to be behind any shady deal or an economic saboteur, the rod would not spare him.
A social commentator, Idris Apata, said only God knows how much Nigeria has wasted on probes whose papers are another implemented since 1999.
“One must understand that each probe panel will take funds out of the coffers of the government. Look at the oil subsidy probe panel, sittings of the committee were televised life in television. Even if they did not pay for the airtime, the TV stations surely lost some money picking the event live.
“That is separate from allowances for members of the panels, they may travel and would be lodged in hotels among other expenses. That is a huge cost to the nation. That would have been okay if the reports are made public and recommendations implemented accordingly. Nigeria would not have lost less than N50 billion on such probes since 1999,” he stated.
