Ex-Speaker in EFCC net

Don Abiodun Odedeyi (extract from 234next)

After what seems like another leaprosy show of the arms of the law, speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole was, yesterday evening, arrested by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC had earlier been bullied out of the speaker's home by the combination of the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim and the EFCC boss was later arrested at his Asokoro, Abuja home around 8pm Sunday evening.

Gist from the Speaker's camp said official of the commission decided to swing into action because the speaker had concluded plans to jet out of the country.

The hullaballo started due to bankole's N10 billion loan he alledgedly collect in other to "offset house salary."

In a counter, Mr. Bankole said that outgoing lawmakers approved largees payroll for themselves alongside with the Senate in 2010.

Mr Bankole said the loan was not a personal facility but was sourced on the directive of the House to foot the large increment in quarterly allowances approved for each members.

He said the directive was reached by a 37-member committee and endorsed by an executive session of the house.

However, as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, Mr Bankole and Usman Nafada, were not part of the proceeds from the loan since they already earned a whopping N100 million and N80 million quarterly each, the statement signed by Media Aide to Mr Bankole, Idowu Bakare said.

“Before the increment quarterly allowance to the office of the Speaker was N100million while his deputy received N80 million. The loan in question was distributed among other principal officers and the remaining members of the House,” the statement read.

All feed fat In the distribution made available in the statement, Mr Bankole’s and Mr Nafada’s allowances remained at their initial N100 million and N80 million respectively, while those of the House Leaders rose from N46million to N60 million.

The Deputy Leader took N57 million instead of the former N43 million while the Chief Whip took N55 million instead of the initial N41 million.

The deputy Whip received N54.5 million instead of N40.5 million and the Minority Whip took N50 million from N36 million.

Other members, including the members of the so called Progressives, led by Dino Melaye, who claimed the loan was not known to the House, collected N42 million instead of N28 million.

In all, the differential of N14 million each for the 360 members, except for the Speaker and the Deputy, accounted for N5.012 billion and for two quarters which the loans were drawn, the amount became N10.024 billion with interest, the former speaker claimed.

Mr Bankole said the Executive Session, which was held on Tuesday March 30, 2010 where the report of a 37 member Committee set up on March 25, 2010 to look into “agitation of member for enhancement of running costs of members”, was reported by Independence Ogunewe, a member of the Melaye-group.

Don Abiodun Odedeyi (extract from 234next)