The House of Representatives, Wednesday, resolved to set up a special committee to revisit the probe of the N60 billion allegedly looted by some political office holders and civil servants in the defunct Nigeria Airways.
Consequently, a resolution, moved by Abiodun Faleke (APC Lagos), was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion on urgent need to revisit Justice Obiora Nwazota’s Commission of Enquiry which was conducted in 2002 into the activities of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited.
Faleke, in his submission, argued that there was need to ensure the release of the White Paper and implementation of recommendations of Justice Nwazota’s panel.
He noted that the resolve of Federal Government to commence the payment of N22.6 billion outstanding entitlements of ex-workers of Nigeria Airways Limited, being first tranche instalment payment, should be scrutinized.
He said: “The House notes that the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari has commenced payment and offsetting 50 percent of the outstanding entitlements of ex-workers of Nigeria Airways Limited in total sum of N22.6 billion only being the first tranche instalment payment, while the other part payment of the balance of 50 percent in same amount is expected to be paid in 2019 due to paucity of funds.
“The House further notes that long before the advent of this administration, precisely in 2002, the Obasanjo-led federal government had established the Justice Obiora Nwazota judicial commission to probe into the operations of the company.
“The House is aware that the commission turned in a report which revealed the mind-bogging corruption and looting to the tune of N60 billion.
“The White paper was approved by the Federal Government and further directed the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Police to recover the stolen funds and prosecute the indicted culprits.
“The House is worried that till date, nothing has been heard of the report and those indicted in the report are believed to be largely visible in the public arena, while the ex-workers continue to languish in abject poverty, having been denied rights to their entitlements, with many of them reportedly dead without receiving their entitlements.
“The House is dumbfounded that despite the release of the White Paper and the approval given to the Paper as well as the directives to the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Police by the Federal Government on an entity of this magnitude which affects the entire nation, previous governments have refused to prosecute the culprits indicted in the report.
“The House is further concerned that those who have been identified to have looted this humongous sum of N60 billion in 2002, a sum which value will no doubt be in the region of about N200 billion in present day, might have been using the said fund to fight, destabilize the government and in some cases, bought their way out of prosecution and possible conviction.”
The House unanimously resolved to investigate, reveal and make public the identities of those indicted in the White Paper report.
The members also resolved to identify those involved and indicted by the White paper with the aim of ensuring they were prosecuted and made to refund the loot.
Similarly, the House resolved to reveal reasons those indicted in the report of the White paper have not been prosecuted, despite the Federal Government’s directive to the effect.
It also mandated the Ad-hoc committee to identify any civil servant and or political office holder who may have used his/her office(s) to thwart and or prevent those indicted from prosecution and possible conviction.
The Ad-hoc Committee, when constituted, is also expected to make any other appropriate recommendations and report back within four legislative weeks.
The Justice Nwazota’s panel was set up by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2002 to investigate the looting of Nigeria Airways which eventually led to the liquidation of the airline.
The panel indicted many of the public office holders and civil servants who participated in the looting and recommended sanctions.
However, several of those indicted went to court to stop the implementation of the White Paper issued by the federal government on the report of the panel.
