The House of Representatives has said the investigation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC) will not affect the ongoing probe by the lawmakers.
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House’s spokesman, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, said on Wednesday that the House Committee on NDDC has concluded its investigation and laid its report to the House, which will be considered immediately they come back from recess.
Kalu said: ”The roles of the various arms of government have been specified by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In that the same constitution, there is a provision for checks and balances to these separated powers. The legislature carries out its mandate according to sections 88 and 89, to check corruption and inefficiency or wastes in government, and it is carried out on all the ministries departments and agencies of government.
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”Recently, the need arose for us to look at the activities of an agency known as Niger Delta Development Commission and that job has been thoroughly done by the House of Representatives’ Committee on NDDC as part of our oversight function and this was done via a motion raised for investigative hearing.
”The committee has gone through all the processes allowed by the House rules in carrying out the hearing on the issues raised by the petitions and motions that were tabled before the House. At the point of laying the report of the committee before the House, the job of the committee is seen to have been completed. Subject to a resolution of the House whose duty it is at the moment to handle the consideration of report laid before it. This report has not been considered because it came in almost when we were about to go on recess. Members needed time to look deeply into these documents on resumption in a few weeks’ time this laid report will be considered by the House in a comprehensive manner.
”The probe of NDDC by EFCC does not in any way affect the work that have been done and completed. It is for us to consider the report, and by consideration accept the recommendation so far given or amend the recommendations or redirect the committee to go back and tidy any loose end identified.”
Also, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said that the upper legislative chamber “is not privy to the workings of the EFCC and the EFCC did not make any reference to the National Assembly in the reported probe of NDDC.”