Reps grill ex-director over N450bn amnesty fund

A House of Representatives panel yesterday grilled a former director in the Amnesty Office over spending of over N450 billion since inception of the programme in 2009.

The committee on public procurement chaired by Rep Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun) while quizzing Mr Durojaiyeola Tikolo, an ex-director of procurement, at a public hearing yesterday, said records showed that there was a collusion between the Amnesty Office and some individuals to defraud the Nigerian government.

The committee said some of the companies engaged to provide services under the Amnesty Programme did not meet the minimum prerequisite qualification for contracts awarded to them.

“According to reports we got from the office of Accountant General of the Federation, the sum of N450bn has been expended on the Amnesty Programme and we are asking as to whether all that was done was in line with the Procurement Act,” Oke said.

The lawmaker’s position followed a remark by the exdirector that the Amnesty Programme was a difficult one as they had to abide by the Public Procurement Act at all times to keep peace in the Niger Delta.

He said all the procurement processes were followed before engaging contractors, adding that they did all they could to deliver on their mandate.

Not satisfied with his response, the committee chairman displayed copies of documents obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the National Pension Commission (PenCom), showing how the procurement law was violated in engaging the companies.

The committee demanded for the letter of exception from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and any other relevant documents on the expenses incurred since the Amnesty Programme came to being in 2009.