Corruption: Buhari To Revisit Past Probe Panel Reports..

The incoming administration of the President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is set to revisit the reports of panels set up by the National Assembly to investigate various financial scandals in Federal Government’s agencies and ministries.

Saturday Punch gathered in Abuja, on Friday, that top among reports that the administration would examine include the fuel subsidy and N255m bulletproof cars scam probes by the House of Representatives as well as the pension scandal investigation by the Senate.

It was gathered that Buhari’s pronouncement that he would take another look at the missing $20bn was a precursor to the administration’s desire to retrieve illegally held public funds.

A competent source close to Buhari, who pleaded for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the general knew that he had limited time within which to turn around the nation, as such, he had no intention of wasting public funds on endless probes.

Also, a top member of the All Progressives Congress, who confided in SaturdayPUNCH, said, with the current fuel scarcity, it had become necessary for the administration to examine the fuel subsidy regime.

The APC chieftain said that the administration would find the report of the House of Representatives’ investigation into fuel subsidy in 2012 useful.

He said, “For now, we have decided not to comment on the issues of probes so as not to heat up the transition, but what I can tell you is that we will not encourage the culture of impunity.

“With the fuel scarcity in many parts of the country, the report of the House of Representatives investigation will be among those to be examined. We suspect that there is massive fraud in the fuel subsidy.”

According to him, the incoming administration will not dissipate energy embarking on fresh probes.

The insider also referred Saturday Punch to what the President-elect said about his approach to fighting the scourge of corruption, during his presentation at Chatham House, London, shortly before the elections.

Buhari had said during the lecture “On corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt people will not be appointed into my administration and he'd stand by it.

Another report, which Saturday Punch gathered would attract the attention of the incoming administration, is the N255m car scam that led to the removal of the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah.

Although the President removed Oduah as recommended by the House, it was gathered that the APC leaders believed that there were other aspects of the report that should be implemented.

Oduah was accused of approving expenditure of over N643m for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to procure 54 vehicles.

The House noted that the approval exceeded her limit as approval limit as a minister which was N100m.

The NCAA purchased two bulletproof BMW cars at the cost of N255m without the approval of the National Assembly.

OTURUGBEKE!!!