Saraki Appears Before Ethics C’ttee, Clears Self of Seized Range Rover

Dealer reveals Oando imported vehicle, clearing documents were fake VC confirms Melaye graduated from ABU in 2000 Ndume: I raised issues to protect integrity of Senate

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki yesterday submitted himself to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions over allegations that a bullet proof Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) belonging to him was impounded by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) for bearing fake customs clearance papers.

The committee chaired by Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East) heard that the vehicle clearance documents were discovered to be fake after the dealer, Lanre Shittu Group, presented the papers given to it by the importer, Oando Nigeria Plc, to the Customs Service.

The vehicle was imported into the country in September 2015 by Oando Nigeria Plc which consigned it to the motor dealer, Lanre Shittu Group, in October 2016

from whom the National Assembly purchased the vehicle in January 2017, the committee heard.

This is just as the Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, confirmed that Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West), formerly Daniel Jonah Melaye, did indeed graduate from the Geography Department of the institution, with a third class degree in 2000.

Saraki and Melaye were compelled to appear before the committee, following a point of order raised by former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, citing Orders 14 and 15 of the Senate Standing Rules and referring to the allegations raised by an online news medium.

The medium had reported that the face off between the Senate and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) was borne out of revenge for the seizure of the N298 million vehicle for which only N8 million was paid as customs duty instead of N74 million.

The medium also reported that Melaye did not obtain a first degree from ABU as he claimed, prompting the Senate to direct its Committee on Ethics and Privileges to investigate the allegations.

Saraki, who walked into the hearing at 2.52 p.m., explained that he had nothing to do with the importation of the vehicle, as he was neither an importer nor a clearing agent.

“This is not true, those that said it know it is not true. Customs knows it is not true, because we all know that all treated vehicles have end-user certificates and there it states clearly who the importer is.

“These documents are available and there is no document anywhere that shows my name. So I want to state categorically that this is not true and it is important that I come here and clear my name and put this matter to rest,” Saraki said.

He added that the “ridiculous” allegations were intended to blackmail the Senate for its stance on the anti-people retrospective vehicle customs duty verification policy.

“We raised the issue of the policy that is anti-people in the interest of Nigerians. This policy really had no value at all and that was why this motion came up, we debated it in the interest of Nigerians.

“Unfortunately, those who want to fight back went and thought there was something to blackmail us with,” Saraki added.

The Senate President stated that he decided to submit himself to the committee’s processes in a bid to strengthen democratic institutions.

“It is a great day for our democracy for me to come before you as the President of the Senate. We must protect this institution. As members, we will come and go, but we must protect this institution.

“To ridicule an institution of this magnitude is not something we should take lightly and that is why I have taken the time to be here.

“Today it is me, but tomorrow it will be another person. I think it is part of the sacrifice we are making in the work that we are doing that we have these kind of cases that do not hold water.

“We must protect this institution because this is the only thing we can leave. The difference between military rule and democracy is the parliament.

“For as long as the parliament is weak, our democracy can never be strong,” Saraki added.

He took his leave at 3.05 p.m. to allow the committee take submissions from the importer, the dealer and the Customs Service.

The importer of the impounded vehicle, Mr. Tokunbo Akindele, disclosed that the vehicle was imported by Oando, which he said he worked for in September 2015 and the vehicle was consigned to the dealer, Lanre Shittu Group, after the company decided it no longer had use for it due to the delay in its delivery.

Akindele told the committee that Oando had engaged the services of US-based Hizmark Inc. to buy, armour, ship and clear the vehicle.

“We made all payments to Hizmark Inc. for the acquisition, armoury, shipping and clearing. In the processing of the car, we did not receive any documentation from the National Assembly, nor was the National Assembly involved in the clearing of the car,” he disclosed.

Akindele added that Oando only discovered that the clearing documents given to the firm were fake, following the interception of the vehicle as it was being driven from Abuja to Lagos by the driver engaged by Lanre Shittu Group.

Akindele maintained that the SUV does not belong to the Senate President.

The chief executive of Lanre Shittu Group, Mr. Olanrewaju Shittu also said that the vehicle was consigned by his company in October 2016.

According to him, “After the consignment of the vehicle from Wale Tinubu, the Group Executive Director of Oando said that the vehicle came late, so they were not able to use it for the purpose they ordered it.

“And being that we have been doing business with Oando for more than two decades, they approached me on how we could help to sell the vehicle, but I said that we did not have a buyer at the time.”

He explained further that the National Assembly later advertised for the purchase of a vehicle, following which his company submitted a bid for the contract to supply the car and won.

“When the interception happened in January, we contacted Oando and they sent the papers to us, which we sent to the Customs Service which then declared the papers fake.

“There was never a time we supplied a vehicle to Dr. Bukola Saraki as a person,” he added.

Officials of the NCS were absent from the hearing, but the committee adjourned till 4 p.m. tomorrow to take the agency’s submission on the matter.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of ABU informed the committee that Melaye graduated in 2000 in the third semester of the 1998/99 academic session.

Garba appeared before the committee to shed light on the certificate scandal regarding Melaye.

“From the records of ABU, Zaria, Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye, who was at that time Daniel Jonah Melaye, graduated with a Third Class degree of the Bachelor of Arts in Geography in the year 2000 and by this, he is a graduate of the university.

“On my honour, I reaffirm that Senator Dino Melaye graduated as Daniel Jonah Melaye during the third semester of the 1998/1999 academic session with a Third Class degree in Geography, that is a Bachelor of Arts in Geography,” Garba said.

Melaye, in his submission, explained that he applied to the court for a change of name from Daniel Jonah Melaye due to the popularity of his name as Dino Melaye.

“My name as an undergraduate was Daniel Jonah Melaye. Jonah is actually my father’s name, so that is