House of Reps Committee Produces Conflicting Reports on $18.7bn Centenary City Probe

House of Reps Committee Produces Conflicting Reports on $18.7bn Centenary City Probe

Controversy over the $18.7bn Centenary City Project rages on, as some members of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT have disowned an investigative report submitted by its chairman, Hon. Herman Hembe.

Although, enmeshed in controversy, the House of Representatives committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) last week submitted report of its investigation ‎on an alleged infractions in $18.7bn centenary city project.

The committee’s report submitted by Hembe recommended that all the statutory Rights of Occupancy purportedly revoked by the former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed in the area covered by the Centenary

City should be restored back to the original allotteesunconditionally without delay.

The committee also urged President Muhammadu Buhari should direct the Managing Director of the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority through the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment to revoke the

Certificate of Free Trade Zone granted to the Centenary City Plc and the company should be deregistered as a Free Zone Entity.

The report recommended further that the Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy purportedly granted to Centenary City Plc by former FCT Minister, Mohammed on 10th April, 2014, should be withdrawn immediately.

Meanwhile, some members of the committee rejected the recommendations as submitted by the committee Chairman Hembe.

The member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo federal constituency of Ebonyi State Hon. Linus Okorie, who had on different occasions disagreed with Hembe during the conduct of the hearing, expressed a dissenting opinion, thereby submitted a counter-report  to the Clark of the Committee.

Okorie insisted that the reporting pattern and the consequent findings did not present the entire facts and consequently the recommendations did not flow from the true facts or findings of the committee.

“It is clear that the recommendations were at variance with the findings of the Committee,” he said.

Okorie who faulted Hembe’s recommended which suggests restoration of revoked land covered by the Centenary said the basis for the recommendation was misplaced as the Committee had confirmed that the City is not a Land Swap Programme and so cannot be guided by Land Swap terms.

He added that‎ the committee did not at any time recommend allegation of fraud or investigation by anti-graft agencies.

“The recommendation appears to come from the moon. The Committee did not make any finding as to fraud and did not also allege any. So, what is the basis for asking the agencies listed in the above recommendation to come in. The Committee only alleged that conditions were not met. Does that come within the mandate of these agencies, at best, this could be an administrative infraction.”

Specifically, Okorie and his group faulted the Hembe’s report on the capacity of the investor to implement a project of $18 billion, as he said the committee did not do enough work by undertaking necessary due diligence to establish the company’s capacity or otherwise.

“It is clear that the recommendations were at variance with the findings of the Committee. I believe that if the Committee had spent more time to make detailed findings, it would have come to a different conclusion from what is recommended,” Okorie said.

Hembe in his report alleged a breach of extant laws on Public Procurement Act and Presidential directive on multi-billion naira Centenary City project against a former Secretary to Government of the Federation, (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, and former minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed, should be investigated by relevant agencies.

Interestingly, the two principal characters, Anyim and Muhammed, had foreseen the indictment and considered it a political vendetta, largely due to Hembe’s track records, thereby accused him of blackmail and impropriety.

Anyim, who was the senate President from August 2000 to May 2003, left the House of Representatives abruptly during the investigative hearing, following heated arguments with members of the committee.

The former SGF alleged that the committee chairman has a personal interest in the probe, thereby requested that he steps down and allow his deputy to continue with the probe.

“Mr. Chairman, I want to put it to you that you have personal motives, you have told everyone who cared to listen that when the former Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ms.

Arumah oteh accused you of demanding bribe, you have pushed for her sack and I refused to sack her as the SGF, so this is an opportunity to get back at me. You have been threatening to conduct this public hearing for over one year now, we only discovered your game plan for all the postponement when you started denting messages to the Managing Director to come and see you privately, I want you to know that nobody will come and see you privately,” he stated.

Anyim also alleged that there was a deliberate plot to disrespect his person, expressed reservations about the invitation sent to him by the committee clerk noted that the manner of invitation denigrates his person as a former Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly.

“Mr. Chairman, if you want me to appear before you, I have no issue with that, but I cannot accept any attempt to subject me to disrespect, you cannot ask a committee clerk to invite me to appear before you, it is unacceptable. Even you, Mr. Chairman, you are not qualified to sign such letter of invitation to me. Please if you need the attention of any former chairman of the National Assembly; get the clerk of the National Assembly to sign such letter,”Anyim said.

He also accused Hembe of inadequate understanding of the concept of centenary city, said he was ready to discuss the project.

“Mr. Chairman, if you do not understand the Centenary City Project, I will not blame you, you may as well not understand this new National Assembly Complex you are enjoying today, you may wish to know that I midwife the conception and the design of this new complex alongside National Assembly committee set-up for that purpose,” he said.

Muhammed on his part noted that the committee had inadequate understanding of the project, adding that he received a letter from the Presidency on the 21st October 2013, which permitted him to vary former President Goodluck Jonathan’s initial directive on the project.

Bala Mohammed who frowned at Hembe’s conduct of disagreed with Committee members and exchanged very harsh words with Hembe. He also threatened to walk out of the hearing room, describing Hembe’s conduct as Childish and the committees’ investigation as a farce.

Nevertheless, irrespective of all the drama, and opposition, even from members of the committee, Hembe who is not new to controversy concluded his assignment, and presented his report, however divisive.

Hembe’s recommendation, if adopted will be a variance with the findings of the Senate Committee on the same issue. The Senate Committee in charge of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had carried-out a similar investigation and endorsed the establishment of a multi-billion-naira city located within the territory.

The senate committee in a report the committee compiled after an independent investigation of the project, noted that‎ the centenary city project will stimulate both foreign and domestic investment to the tune of $18 billion, create 250,000 well-paying jobs, promote world-class urban infrastructure, leisure and entertainment and attract multinational retail chains to Nigeria, among other things.

The report signed by the chairman of the committee, Dino Melaye, also stated that the programme would support the urban renewal of Abuja and earn outstanding revenue for the FCT,‎ also said that the project is entirely a private sector project that will be completed at no cost to the government.

By ADEBIYI ADEDAPO, Leadership.