News

House Of Reps Probe Aregbesola Over Misuse Of N165b Prison Funds

Published

3 years ago

Feb 17, 2022.

The House of Reps probe Aregbesola over the misappropriation of N165 billion put into the Correctional Centres (Prisons) across the country without any improvement under his leadership.
The legislators resolved to have its Committee on Reformatory Institutions investigate the allegations and report to the House within 12 weeks for further legislative action.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the House of Representatives on Wednesday initiated a corruption probe of interior minister, Rauf Aregbesola.

The minister is being probed for the Correctional Centres (Prisons) across the country where N165 billion have been sunk without any improvement under his leadership.

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is a staunch loyalist of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who has declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2023, made this known on Wednesday.

This is coming a few days after Aregbesola’ declared war against his leader and benefactor, Bola Tinubu and the Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola ahead of the governorship elections in Osun in July 2022.

Gbajabiamila presided over the plenary where it was decided that Aregbesola and Prisons Chief, Haliru Nababa should be probed for mismanaging up to N165 billion in funds earmarked for prisons development across the country, People’s Gazzette reported.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance by Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority Leader of the House on the floor of the House on Wednesday in Abuja. In his argument, Mr Elumelu criticised the welfare of the workforce.

“The House is disturbed that despite this Act and increase in Budgetary Allocations to the Nigerian Correctional Service to drive its renewed mandate, the tempo and quality of the Service have remained the same if not retrogressing.

“The House is worried that the working conditions of Staff and inmates’ welfare have deteriorated notwithstanding the over N165 billion budget allocations to the Service in the last two years,” Mr Elumelu said.

The legislators resolved to have its Committee on Reformatory Institutions investigate the allegations and report to the House within 12 weeks for further legislative action.

The move comes as Messrs Aregbesola and Tinubu are slugging it out publicly over the power tussle in Osun state.

On Monday, Mr Aregbesola was at a political rally where Tinubu was severely derided, including being mocked over the viral video that many said amounted to public urination on his body.

Aregbesola has been locked in a fierce political fray with his former Chief of Staff and successor, Gboyega Oyetola, accusing him and Tinubu of conniving to destroy his legacy in Osun.

Tinubu and Oyetola are believed to be of the same family, with Oyetola often describing himself as a younger brother to Tinubu.

The NCoS is headed by Mr Haliru Nababa and supervised by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

Click to watch our video of the week: