By Peter Duru

MAKURDI — Bothered by the alleged misappropriation of the excess crude funds released to local government councils in Benue State, the state House of Assembly is to set up three ad-hoc committees to probe the leadership of the 23 council areas to determine the veracity of the allegations.

The Assembly premised its decision on a motion of urgent public importance raised by Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Public Accounts and member representing Ogbadibo state constituency, Mr. Moses Odu, who drew the attention of the House to a letter to the Speaker from councillors of Ogbadibo local council of the state indicting the council chairman, Clement Agada of alleged embezzlement of excess crude funds meant for the council in the month of December 2009.

Odu explained that the Ogbadibo councillors had alleged that their council chairman misappropriated the sum of N86.8 million, stating that the councillors want the state Assembly to study its resolution and set up its own committee to investigate the allegations leveled against the council chairman.

Contributing to the debate, House Committee Chairman on Finance and Appropriation, Mr. Simon Kwaghbula, lamented that Ogbadibo local government council was not alone in the matter, emphasizing that virtually all the councils in the state were groaning under the yoke of mismanagement of their excess crude funds meant for rural development, hence the need to probe the 23 councils.

He suggested that a committee made up of all members of the state Assembly be set up to start the immediate probe of the financial activities of the councils in order to stem the tide of financial recklessness that has bedeviled some of the councils in the state.

However, while presenting a contrary view on the composition of the probe committees, former majority leader of the Assembly, Hyacinth Nyakuma argued that it would be ineffective if all the members of the Assembly were involved in the probe.