Pension Probe: Senate Denies Taking Bribe

The Nigerian Senate has denied allegation that its members were bribed to influence the report of the adhoc committee handling the   on-going probe of the management of pension funds in the country, describing it as a pack of lies and cheap blackmail.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe, in a statement made available to Senate correspondents yesterday in Abuja said there was no iota of truth in the allegation and challenged those behind the allegation to go ahead and mention the names of the lawmakers involved in the bribery scam as they claimed.

Just before Senator Abaribe’s statement in response to the said allegation against the members of the Senate, the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration had cried out that the Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, attempted to bribe its members to halt the probe.

The statement reads, “the allegation that members of the Senate and the House of Representatives were bribed to influence the outcome of the on-going probe of the management of the pension funds in Nigeria is a pack of lies with no iota of truth with regards to the 7th Senate.

“We suspect that the individuals that made the allegation deployed the unfortunate tactics as a desperate ploy to blackmail the National Assembly and hoodwink the Nigerian public as an odious cover in the light of the sad revelation made in the course of hearings even when no report had been turned in.

“The Senate therefore challenges this individual to be courageous enough to name those he bribed. He should be bold to mention their names to the public as doing so would help bring probity in our public life.

“People, especially those handling positions of public trust should be ready at all times to render honest account of their stewardship when called upon to do so before relevant institutions and not try to divert attention by making unfounded allegations”, the statement read.

The senate committee investigating the management of the pensions fund had raised alarm over discoveries of blown embezzlements and irregularities of scores of billions of Naira involving some members of the task force mandated to run the funds meant for Nigerian retirees.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja