Rights Monitors petitions EFCC, demands LSHA speaker, Obasa to step down pending investigation on corruption allegations
By Meletus EZE
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has been requested to step down from the position pending completion of investigation by the EFCC over several allegations around abuse of office and financial misappropriation raised against him.
The Executive Director, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, of the petitioner, Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) confirmed the development in a telephone with TBI Africa correspondent in Lagos on Sunday at about 3.15pm on the petitions written to the EFCC against the Lagos State Speaker over the alleged abuse of office and financial misappropriation.
In a petition recently sent to the office of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and addressed to the office of the chairman of the commission with the title:
“PETITION AGAINST LAGOS STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY SPEAKER, MUDHASIRU OBASA ON GROSS FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT, CRIMINAL BREACH OF PUBLIC TRUST AND ABUSE OF OFFICE,”
The Executive Director, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, of the petitioner, Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) claimed that popular demand necessitated the petition.
“Further to a popular demand by some members of the public to our office, this petition is written to acquaint your agency EFCC, with the gross financial misconduct and the abuse of office being perpetrated by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honorable Mudashiru Obasa, for a thorough investigation so as to avert a further bleeding of the public treasury under his care and restore sanity in the functioning of the states legislative establishment.
The petition reads further: “The Speakers desecration of his office for which a probe of his activities becomes necessary is in twofold: one, his financial recklessness and cornering of public funds through illegitimate means; and two, the corruption and compromise of laid down procedures and rules deliberately foisted on the workforce of the Assembly”.
The Human Rights group however stated some of the cases for which the intervention of the EFCC is sought as:
1. Purchase of a bullet-proof car at a market value of less than N100 Million (One Hundred Million Naira), and the inflation of its price to N300 Million (Three Hundred Million Naira).
Apart from being inflated by a whopping 200%, the purchase of the vehicle was done in a questionable manner contrary to procurement acts.
This constitutes a flagrant abuse of office and the exercise of privilege with impunity in a country where majority of the citizens live on less than a dollar a day.
2. Unilateral purchase of 40 cars for members of the Assembly with neither prior discussion with members nor official approval by the House.
We have it on good authority that the vehicles were imported by a notable politician for a failed political project.
The Speaker procured those vehicles and has since refused to either release their papers to the supposed beneficiaries or tender their receipt for retirement into the Assemblys accounts for obvious reasons as the cost of the vehicles is only known to the Speaker.
3. Purchase of 11(eleven) other vehicles without bidding, advertisement and rules and regulations guiding procurement or legislative approval. This is disdain for public accountability and established checks and balances.
4. Use of fictitious companies as fronts for cornering public contracts and fleecing of public funds.
The most notorious of these companies is a certain De-Kingrun Multipurpose Nigeria Limited with CAC No: RC 748741 where all his six children are shareholders.
A probe of the businesses of the House since his leadership should reveal how notoriously Obasa has been breaching public trust by diverting contracts and projects into companies of his interest with the active connivance of the clerk of the House, Mr. Azeez Sanni Adebowale.
5. Compromise of operational procedures, creation of an extra-legal hierarchy and privileging cronies at the expense of the system.
This is by far the greatest calamity to befall the Lagos State House of Assembly under Obasas watch. Regulatory procedures have been in most cases set aside with the connivance of the Clerk of the House with the ill-intent of carrying out governmental business for private gains and as a private concern.
With this tactics, Obasa created an extra-legal hierarchy within the workforce of the States Assembly where his cronies (including a concubine of his popularly called Madam Speaker) reign supreme. It was on good authority that the girl named Nike Ajibose was promoted to level 9 without promotional exams because of immoral relationship with the Hon.
Mudashiru Obasa, she recently traveled to United Kingdom with 9m of LSHA money not approved but more importantly is the using the girl for money laundering activities.
The recent allegation of illegal 2.4 billion naira spent within 11months to purchase 80 cars for 40 members of LSHA must be thoroughly investigated by your establishment that remain the best anti-graft agency in Africa”.
The Rights Monitors stated that if the Lagos Speaker, Obasa is found guilty of any of the above allegations, that would amount to breach of public trust and such a man of questionable character cannot continue to act as Speaker to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“It is our belief that the actions and activities of Honorable Mudashiru Obasa at the Lagos State House of Assembly is detrimental to the interest of the people of Lagos State and his primary constituency which elected him to serve.
It is also breach of public trust and a dent on the anti-corruption drive of the party and the government to which he belongs, hence the need to have him investigated and put him under public scrutiny and account before further damage is done to the collective patrimony of Lagosians.
“It is therefore our demand that such man with questionable character should step down from the position of the Speaker to the Lagos State House of Assembly pending the completion of investigation.
“Hon. Mudashiru Obasa cannot be probing Ex-Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and still be looting the treasury of LSHA. He who must come to equity must come with a clean hands”.
