By Kolade Larewaju
THE Ogun State House of Assembly, yesterday alleged attempts by the Executive to bribe it with N1 billion to facilitate the passage of its request for approval of a N100 billion Bond.

The House, however, said the approval of the Bond request would only be obtained after an open debate with members of the executive on the propriety of the Bond.

Speaking after receiving the report of the Finance and Appropriation Committee, the Speaker, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun said “I have been personally offered goodies which I refused. I have been offered N12 million for a single meeting by one of their peacemakers.

We have been offered N1 billion but I have said they should allow a single debate on all the issues in contention on the Bond and I can assure them that we will move straight from the venue of the debate to plenary and pass it if we are convinced. We should have an open debate. Let them sit with us and we will bow to superior argument, but in the absence of superior argument, the Executive should bow.”

On the issue of supplementary appropriation, the Speaker said the House was rejecting the bill, saying that according to the findings of the finance committee what was needed was a realignment of the budget.

“If they spend contrary to the budget, it is misappropriation. All they are requesting for in the supplementary budget have been taken care of in the 2010 budget.”

On the non release of the funds of the House, members agreed that they should do all that could be done legally and constitutionally to ensure the release of the funds even, including going to Abuja.

Egbetokun said despite the non release of the fund of the House, Governor Daniel has spent almost N1 billion for his office as against the N700 million approved in the budget.

Earlier,  presenting the report of the Finance Committee, Mr. Job Akintan explained that the Bond was broken down to 2010; N26 billion, 2011; N34 billion and 2012; N40 billion, adding that all the projects listed to be financed or refinanced by the Bond had been given to the House before as to have been financed by Federal Allocation and Internally Generated Revenue in the 2010 Budget.

He said, “we got debt cancellation of N26 billion and just about three years after we are now saddled with debt of another N28 billion. And on this N28 billion, we are going to pay N48 billion in five years; so how much are we going to pay on N100 billion Bond?”

In her contribution, Mrs. Adijat Oladapo lamented that the Executive had refused to obey the law stipulating that all loans must be approved by the House of Assembly, adding that even without the approval, the State funds was been deducted from source every month to the tune of N1.2 billion.

The Deputy Speaker, Mr. Remi Hazzan said the state government had “been consistently inconsistent on information given out about the Bond issue at every occasion. They are desperately in need of the Bond.”

.…Ogun govt asks House to substantiate claims

BUT the State Government in a swift reaction challenged the Speaker, Mr. Tunji Egbetokun,  to substantiate his allegation of the attempt to bribe the House and asked him to name the people who offered the bribe.

State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Sina Kawonise,  at a briefing after the House allegation, said that the story of whether members of the House demanded for bribe would be told on another  day, but insisted that Egbetokun must name those who offered him bribe.

Kawonise who was accompanied by the Director General of Budget; Mr. Kayode Sunmola, Chief Press Secretary; Adegbenro  Adebanjo, Consultant on Media; Sina Ogunbambo and General Manager of Signagies; Mr. Oluwasijibomi Oyesile, said the non-passage of the Supplementary Appropriation  and rejection of the Bond would adversely affect running of government.

He listed the areas which would be mostly affected to include provision of water by the State Water Corporation, payment to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria PHCN, payment of Group Life Assurance for employees and Team Ogun.

He said, “rumor has just filtered in from the House of Assembly that the 2010 Supplementary Budget and the N100 billion Bond proposal of the government have been rejected by the House of Assembly.”

“We are hoping that this will be confirmed as a rumour by the House of Assembly, considering the fact that no single agency of Government was invited by the House to jiustify the requests being made in the 2010 Supplementary Budget.

“However it is imperative for Government to reiterate clearly the attendant implications of non-passage on delivery of services to the citizens of Ogun State of the 2010 Supplementary Budget and the tactical rejection of the N100 billion  Bond proposal “