Legislature not to be blamed for corruption in Nigeria—Deputy House Speaker, Ihedioha

AKHERE Godwin, Benin

Federal House Representatives, weekend, has blamed the President Gooduck Jonathan-led executive for corruption in the country, maintaining that the 7th assembly had done its best in exposing corruption.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, made the disclosure while speaking to newsmen after a delegation of members of the House of Representatives, paid a condolence visit to the Minority leader of the House, Hon Samson Osagie, at Urhokuosa, Uhunmwode in Edo State, whose father Pa Samson Osagie Imarhiagbe Ogbewe passed away.

The lawmaker also disclosed that the house has done all it could to ensure the smooth and easy passage of the much awaited Petroleum Industry Bill, (PIB), when the house seats for plenary this week.

He stated: “It is most unfair for anybody to indicate that we have not done anything about corruption. First , the leadership of the house and the 7th assembly have discharged itself as a house that lead by example , we have lead the house transparently and we have open our books for anybody or individual to appreciate how we have ran the affair of the house and that is why in the 7th assembly there is no banana pills.

“We also have done everything that we can to expose corrupt practices by any branch of government and by any member of the society, we have done all we need to do and we have asked the executive to do its own part. If the executive fails to do its own part, that is not the responsibility of the house and is not an indictment of the legislature, we have exposed corruption where necessary.

On the PIB he noted: “I think it will most unfair for anybody to insinuate that the house is not working on the PIB, we have slated it for passage and we have mentioned it and we said we have to accomplish it before the end of this assembly.

“As we speak copies of the bill for consideration have been distributed to all members of the house to enable them study it so that they can make input. So come this week we invite all Nigerians to join us as we take the clause by clause consideration of the bill because we believe that the passage will do the Nigerian economy and the petroleum industry a lot of good,” he added