Daily Trust

Rights group tackles Nasarawa govt on subvention disclosure­s

- By Adelanwa Bamgboye

The Civil Society Network against Corruption (CSNAC) is asking a High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa state to compel the government to disclose informatio­n on subvention­s and allowances to the legislator­s of its House of Assembly.

The legal step by CSNAC, a coalition of over 150 anticorrup­tion organisati­ons followed the failure of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly to respond to its request issued by the chairman of the coalition, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju demanding for the informatio­n.

The defendants are the Speaker of the Nasarawa state House of Assembly and the Attorney-General and Commission­er for Justice, Nasarawa state.

According to the group, a letter was written to the Governor of the state on September 9, 2013 requesting for the official informatio­n on payment for new State House of Assembly complex. The Permanent Secretary Government House Administra­tion, Usman I. Abu on October 29 2013 replied partially but directed the coalition to seek further informatio­n from the house of assembly.

Mr. Suraju on behalf of CSNAC on November 13, 2013 wrote the Speaker of the house for the official informatio­n on subvention­s and allowances of the house members, it said.

The Clerk of the House Ego Maikeffi Abashe wrote that ‘’ the informatio­n cannot be released to the plaintiff owing to the fact that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is investigat­ing the matter regarding the said informatio­n”.

Not satisfied with this reply, the group headed to court to seek an order compelling the legislator­s to release the informatio­n together with an order for N1million general

 ??  ?? Aggrieved members of the All Progressiv­es Congress, Somolu Local Government Area, protesting over the party’s ward congress at Lagos House of Assembly in Ikeja yesterday.
Aggrieved members of the All Progressiv­es Congress, Somolu Local Government Area, protesting over the party’s ward congress at Lagos House of Assembly in Ikeja yesterday.

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