Senate panel, CCB disagree on alleged N8 billion abandoned building fraud

The Senate Committee investigating allegations of misdeeds in the abandonment of N8 billion building project by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) had a very rough session with the bureau yesterday.

At an open hearing, the panel presided over by Senator Dino Melaye, insisted that the CCB had violated the procurement law as well as engaging in wasteful expenditure.

But CCB Chairman, Sam Saba, said there was nothing wrong in all the processes the project went through, adding that the bureau abandoned the N8 billion building contract for the purchase of another N4.5 billion because of the failure of the contractor to do a diligent work.

Saba attempted to proof that the Bureau’s actions were lawful but the committee was quick in finding loopholes in Saba’s presentation pointing out that the due process of procurement were abused.

On the purchase of the new office building, Saba said: “This was to put an end to an age long predicament of the CCB as the only anti-corruption agency without its own office block. The National Assembly therefore appropriated the sum of N4,430,001,179.00 in the 2016 CCB budget for the purchase of office building. The CCB in still awaiting the release of the funds,” he stated.

Not satisfied with Saba’s presentation, the Senate committee gave him 48 hours ultimatum to submit more relevant documents.