House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged job racketeering and mismanagement of Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System ( IPPIS) by Ministries, Department and Agencies ( MDAs) and institutions has summoned vice chancellors of all federal universities to appear before it over media report that that they bribed the panel.
Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, who gave the summon at the resumed sitting of the committee, yesterday, said the vice chancellors and the National University Commission (NUC) were expected to come along with evidence on the alleged bribery and extortion.
An online news portal had reported that the vice chancellors allegedly paid N2million each as bribe to the committee, after allegedly meeting with members of the investigative panel.
However, Gagdi, said he was not aware of members of the Ad-hoc Committee collecting money from MDAs or vice chancellors.
He maintained that if author of the report entitled “Nigerian lawmakers probing job racketeering are extorting money from agencies” or the vice chancellors have information of any member soliciting for bribe, they should focus on that member.
“Nigerians have hope in this Committee from.the way we are conducting the business of this Committee, everybody is seeing what we are doing. We will not compromise by hiding and aiding irregularities going on in the public service. No amount of statement accusing this Committee will deter us from doing our job.
“You may have your problem with a member of this Committee but don’t blackmail the entire Committee. I’m saying this because I am not being accused of doing anything, but you have issues that you want to make publication about a member of this Committee, sort it out with him, don’t put anything at the faces of members of this Committee.
“But in view of certain developments, I think the Clerk should summon the vice chancellors to appear through the National Universities Commission on Friday. We have to sit on Friday.
“Let the letter reach the Commission today, I want to personally sign the letter so that some of these things will be done in the character of the committee publicly for us to ask questions on what particularly the members of the Press will want to hear. Clerk make sure you do that.”
In another development, Ad-hoc Committee on non-remittance of contributions to the National Housing Fund (NHF) and Utilisation of the Fund from 2011 till date summoned the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Mr. Folashidun Shonubi, to appear before it over alleged non-remittance of deduction from workers’ salaries for NHF.
Also summoned are the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, as well as the four payment gateway engaged by the government for the National Housing Scheme (NHS), including Remita, e-Tranzact, Nigeria Interbank Payment System (NIPS) and GIF.
Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee , Dachung Bagos, said all those summoned were expected to provide details of the deductions and remittances made workers from 684 MDAs in respect of their national housing fund.
Bagos said the summon became necessary following the panel’s dis-satisfaction with the presentation made at the investigative hearing by the director of Intergrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Emma James Deko.