By Mohammad Ibrahim
Kaduna (Nigeria) – Newly appointed Speaker of Kebbi State House of Assembly in Northwest Nigeria, Aminu Habib Jega along with 12 other Members of the Assembly have sent a notice of allegations of gross Misconduct to the State Governor Alhaji Usman Saidu Dakingari.
In the letter signed by 12 Member of the Assembly, out of the 24 Members, copied to newsmen, Governor Dakingari has violated the section 188 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended).
The Members accuse Dakingari of obtaining a loan facility to the tune of Two Billion Naira from Micro, small and Medium Enterprise Support Fund set up by the Central Bank without obtaining the necessary confirmation from the House.
According to them, the confirmation was opposed by Nine Members of the total members of the kebbi state House of Assembly and thereby committed gross misconducted.
The House also alleged that Mr. Dakingari has withdrawn the sum of Nine Hundrend and Sixty-five Million naira in the name of the official visits of President Goodluck, Vice President Sambo and First Lady of Nigeria between the period of November 2014 to March, 2015 while President, Vice and First Lady did not make any official visit to Kebbi State within the said period.
Thirdly, Governor Dakingari was also accused of gross misconduct between the period of January 2015 to April 2015 which he misappropriated the sum of One Billion, Eight Hundred Million, Eight Hundred and sixty-two thousand, eight hundred and seventy two Naira in Kebbi State funds in the name of general elections 2015 and their is no provision for that expenditure in the Appropriation Law, 2015.
“Governor Dakingari has also violated the Law by issue the renovation and furnishing of the Presidential Lodge and other government lodge at the cost of N558,560,416.00 to unkwn contractor in September,2014 to Nov. 2014 which he wrongly inflated the cost of renovation and furnishing to the tune of 1,347,373,906.54′ that the contract sum was increased by the sum of N788,813490.54 thereby committed a gross misconduct,” they said.
The aggrieved members also alleged that Governor Dakingari has illegally committed a grave violation of the provision of section 5(1)(a) of the Kebbi State Budget Monitoring and Price Intlligence Bureau Law, 2008 in that the chairman of the Bureau is to be a retired civil servant, but he went ahead to appoint one Aminu Usman as the Chairman of that Bureau and also his Permanent Secretary/Solicitor General of the state Ministry of Justice.
The notice of allegation of gross misconduct which was singed by the 12 member of the House gave Governor Dakingari seven days to reply or else he would be impeached.
Secretary to the Kebbi State Government (SSG), Garba Rabiu Kamba who responded onbehalf of the state government described the act by the Members as unconstitutional.
According to him, they pre-empted the decision of the Kebbi State High Court.
“The Kebbi State Government is waiting for the judgement of the High Court and as such this action of the Members is illegal” he said.
