The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Nduese Essien, has absolved himself from involvement in the allegation of fraud in the implementation of the ministry’s budgets in the 2008 and 2009 appropriation bills.

The Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development had last week commenced a probe into the implementation of the 2008 and 2009 budgets for the ministry totalling about N630.7 billion, following allegations of impropriety in the implementation of the budgets.

To this end, the Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Ikechukwu Obiorah, had invited the minister to submit relevant documents explaining the implementation of the ministry’s projects for the 2008 and 2009 fiscal years to it.

The minister however noted in a statement that the ministry under his watch was not responsible for the execution of the projects, having just been created on April 6, 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan.

His words: “Having been created on April 6, 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development as presently constituted did not implement the said budgets.

Since government is continuous, the ministry will soon respond to the request made by the Senate committee.
“The attention of relevant departments and units in the ministry has been drawn to letters sent in by the House and Senate committees on Housing and Urban Development on the implementation of the said budgets.

The present Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development was excised from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development on June 6, 2010. We could not have implemented the 2008 and 2009 budgets of the ministry as indicated in the letters by the National Assembly committees.”