MEMBERS of the adhoc committee of the House of Representatives on failed
rail contracts have summoned the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi
Amaechi; Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Seyi
Sijuwade; former Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Mohammed
Bello Haliru; and former Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, to explain
their roles in the alleged N1 trillion rail contracts scam.
The adhoc committee is headed by Ehoizuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, PDP,
Ikpoba/Oha Federal Constituency. They are expected to appear before the
committee tomorrow during the investigative hearing.
Chairman of the adhoc committee, Agbonayinma, confirmed that all the
stakeholders had been duly informed and were expected to show up
unfailingly tomorrow.
Asked why the Minister of Transport was invited, despite the fact
that he is barely three months old in office, Agbonayinma said: “The
Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, was also invited to tell us all
he knows, though he just assumed office but you know government is a
continuum.
“This 8th House is 100 per cent in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s crusade against any form of corruption.
“We are not out to witch-hunt anybody but anyone found wanting in the
course of this investigative hearing will be adequately exposed
although as you are aware, not until it is proven by a competent court
that such persons are guilty you can’t say they are guilty.”
It would be recalled that during the last investigative hearing on
December 10, former chairman of the NRC board, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, had
denied that during his tenure, no contract was awarded by the board he
chaired.
Tukur, a former chairman of PDP, had told the adhoc committee that
the Procurement Act excluded the NRC Board from participating in the
award of railway contracts.
“The Board which I chaired, was never involved in any contract award
and was never told or invited to participate in issues of contract award
of financial disbursement,” he said.
He said throughout his stay as the Board Chairman of the NRC, no
issue of contract award of any amount or tune was discussed or awarded
by the Board.
Another Chairman of the board, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, also a former
chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, told the adhoc committee that
he was not privileged to appoint any consultant or award contracts for
the railway projects.
According to Baraje, all the paraphernalia and indices that would assist him carry out his work were all gone.
“We only played the role of inspection because the procurement act
excluded the board from participating in any contract,’’ he added.
He expressed worry that the country’s railway transportation system
had suffered neglect, in spite of playing critical role in the
development of the economy.
Baraje said more attention should be given to the 25-year railway modernisation plan to boost transportation in the country.
Also speaking at the hearing Senator Ladan Shuni, another former
Board Chairman of the NRC, wondered the essence of inaugurating a board
that lacked the capacity to oversee the award of contracts.
The investigative hearing is expected to unravel how over N1 trillion
was expended on rail rehabilitation, purchase of coaches, spare parts
and materials for NRC.
Vanguard recalls that the House of Representatives, had on
October 14 based on a motion promoted by Rep Solomon Ahwhinawi, PDP,
Delta had set up the adhoc committee to probe contracts awarded for
the rehabilitation of rail tracks, standard gauge, bridges, coaches,
wagons and locomotives between 2010 and 2014 amounting to N1 trillion
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