- $496m Aircraft: Senate Panel Fails to Present Probe Report
The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, which was mandated to investigate President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the payment of $496m out of the Excess Crude Account for the purchase of military aircraft without legislative nod has yet to present its report.
The 12 Super Tucano aircraft ordered from the United States will be delivered in 2020.
The Senate had penultimate Thursday resolved to refer the matter to the committee for legal advice, when lawmakers became divided on it.
The panel was given the mandate to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arms deal and if the President violated the constitution or not.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had said, “What I am saying is that the best committee here that can advise us on whether an infraction has taken place or not, and how do we move forward to address it normally, is the Judiciary Committee; let them look at it. By Wednesday, they can bring the report back to us.”
The Chairman of the committee, Senator David Umaru, did not pick calls made to his telephone line to ask why the panel failed to meet the Wednesday deadline and when the report would be presented.
He also had yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of press time.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, who was asked about the report when he briefed journalists on Wednesday, had said, “The committee has not finished its work.”
In a chat with our correspondent on Thursday, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said only the report could determine the action to be taken by the Senate on the matter.
