Alleged fraud: We follow the rules- Reps refuse to indict TETFund and REA leaders

The chief executive officers of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have reportedly been charged with fraud; however, this accusation has been denied by the deputy spokesperson for the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese.

The member for Benue State’s Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency stated that the 10th House would follow laws and regulations and treat everyone equally.

Remember that the Managing Director of REA, Mr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, was called by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption in a letter dated October 11, 2023, for an alleged multi-billion naira scam that he oversaw.

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The summons came in response to a petition filed by the Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV), a civil society organisation. In the petition, the group claimed that the Ahmad-led management team had committed multiple irregularities, including a recent N1.5 billion fraud in the power agency.

As a result, the Managing Director appeared before the Hon. Kayode Moshood Akiolu-led Investigative Committee to answer to charges of fraud, criminal conspiracy, and misappropriation of public funds made against him and around fifteen other individuals.

Agbese clarified, however, that the House of Representatives was intended for all Nigerians, in contrast to certain misconceptions regarding the Green Chamber.

Shortly following the Tuesday plenary, the deputy spokesperson made an address to the media, stressing the importance of providing the “accused with a fair hearing, doing due diligence to the hearings and forming a balanced opinion and judgement, for fairness and justice.”

“The 10th House of Representatives, led by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, is a House governed by rules and regulations, as you are all aware,” he stated. Like any other Parliament in the world, we have our own protocols, so when matters are brought up, they must be carefully considered, and justice must always be served.

For instance, when you brought up the Tetfund controversy, the committee had already conducted its probe. The report has been turned in, and those of you who might have seen it somehow can see that the Tetfund was not charged in any way.

“You brought up the subject of the Rural Electrification Agency; citizens filed petitions, and some of these were forwarded directly to the public account, the public petition, and even the committee in charge of that agency’s supervision.

As Mr. President will be pleased to see, the 10th Assembly is not in a desperate attempt to make anyone a criminal for carrying out their official duties.

“I believe that in the REA MD’s case, he was able to appear before these people (committees), and he was exonerated before the public accountant and other committees like the anti-corruption, crimes, and so on.

Therefore, it’s okay if you present your scorecard to Parliament and are able to prove that you are innocent of all the accusations made against you.

We are all aware of the general rule that you should never listen to one side when making judgements. Second, there is another parliamentary legal principle that states you cannot listen to one side of a dispute alone when there are two parties engaged.

“The Managing Director of REA has testified before a few committees. After hearing all sides out, I believe we agreed with the majority of Nigerians, who believe this young man is capable of handling the duty placed upon him by the President with great success. I would like to take this opportunity to assure Nigerians that no one is being targeted for witchcraft. We support all Nigerians.