The Oyo State House of Assembly has denied Media reports alleging that its account has been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It described the reports as “baseless rumour”.
Speaking on behalf of the other lawmakers, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr Kazeem Olayanju, said neither its account nor that of any Director was frozen by the EFCC.
Olayanju urged Journalists to always seek clarification of any information before publishing their content, emphasising that ”the report is not only misleading, but also discrediting the principles and values of the 9th Oyo State House of Assembly.”
He said: “Recently, the EFCC invited some top staff of the House over a petition on how we bought our official cars as state lawmakers. They appeared, answered all questions and all necessary documents were presented for accountability sake and that was all.”
“The Assembly has been running all its legislative duties in line with the laid down procedures. We hold plenaries, perform oversight functions to the best of our ability and ultimately doing our best for the entire Oyo State. Where do we get fund to run the day to day activities if the Account of the Assembly had been frozen?” Olayanju asked.
Appeal
He made an appeal to Journalists and every Media practitioner to be more professional and always put the ethics of the job first, saying ”they play a crucial role in the state’s democracy and should always do it in the best interest of the people.”
He made an appeal to Journalists and every Media practitioner to be more professional and always put the ethics of the job first, saying ”they play a crucial role in the state’s democracy and should always do it in the best interest of the people.”
He said; “The House is open, the office of the Speaker is open and our lines are always available for clarification of any information just to ensure their reports are objective, balanced and factual.”
However, it was gathered from a top source close to the anti-graft agency that the Assembly’s account was never frozen.
The source who spoke in confidence confirmed that only the account of the Assembly’s Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) was placed on Post-No-Debit, PND.
Placing an account on ‘PND’ means allowing cash to be paid into the account but denying the account owner access to withdraw from the account through whatever means.
The source explained that the Commission took the decision when the DFA failed to appear when she was invited initially but that she later appeared at the Commission’s office on Tuesday.
Report says the invitation of the DFA, was in relation to an ongoing investigation into the cars purchased for the lawmakers which ran to the tune of N1billion, only to discover that the cars were refurbished and not brand new.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
