Date: 2017-02-16

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has washed his hands off the N125m rented residence allegedly secured for him by the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC).

According to Saraki, who spoke through his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, he knows nothing about the issue, adding that he lived in his own house situated at Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja. He said, ''I am telling you, it is a lie. The Senate President lives in his own house, and he does not take rent. He has no link to this issue''. An online news medium, TheCable had reported that after several traces, the said facility could not be physically located.

The medium also said nobody was willing to comment on the 'mystery' as all key players in the affair refused to pick calls or reply text messages. The property is said to be located at Plot 973, Mban Close, off Pope John Paul Street, Maitama, Abuja, rented at N50 million per year on a two-year tenancy, with fees and VAT bringing the total cost to N125 million.

The property is described in the tenancy agreement as a five-bedroom detached duplex with two-room guest charlet, boys quarters, a swimming pool, air conditioners and 1,350 square metres with "ample parking space". Also, a second house purportedly rented for the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu at Plot 22, Vaal Street, off Rhine Street, Maitama, Abuja, was discovered to be unoccupied.

The house was described in the rent agreement as a five-bedroom detached duplex with a guest charlet of 3-bedroom boys quarters. It was said to have cost N40 million per year for two years, starting from May 7, 2016 and terminating on May 6, 2018. However, the house was discovered to be unoccupied as Ekweremadu still lives at his personal residence at Apo Legislative Quarters.

Director of Legend ark Consultants, Felix Akpoti, the lessor, signed for his company while Omoniyi Olaloye, an engineer, signed for AMMC, which is under the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on both occasion. Media aide to Ekweramandu, Uche Anichukwu, also told the paper that the deputy senate president is not aware of the property. A group, CATBAN, supposedly a civil society group, initially alleged that the deputy president of the senate was paid over N100million by the FCT in lieu of accommodation.

"We refuted that allegation and still stand by our statement because that was a sponsored mischief. Nobody paid any money to Senator Ekweremadu. Now that they have shifted to it that a property was rented for him, my response is that I'm not aware that the deputy president of the senate was given any residential accommodation. I know he lives at Apo Quarters. However, even if the FCT does give him any residential accommodation, it is still within his statutory right. Everybody knows that the FCT provides accommodation for president, vice-president, senate president, deputy president of the senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, deputy speaker of the house, and the chief justice of Nigeria. "Meanwhile, I'm also aware that the presiding officers turned down over N10 Billion proposed by the FCT in the 2016 budget for the construction of their residential accommodation as they said that it did not reflect the hardship in the country." The paper said Akpoti refused to speak on phone, demanding to see the documents first. SERIES OF OFFERS After a brief meeting on Monday, Muhammad Sule, FCDA spokesman, directed TheCable to Safiya Umar, acting director of the AMMC, to get details of the transaction. He said he had no idea of it because it was not within his purview. When the newspaper called Umar repeatedly, and even sent her an SMS, she failed to respond.

A letter of contract award from AMMC to Legendark Consultants, dated 30 March, 2016, showed that Plot 973 was for the senate president. "I am directed to inform you that provisional approval has been given for an emergency contract to your company in line PPA Section 42 (1b &1f) for rented house for the senate president in Maitama AO5 (Plot No 973 Mban Close) for two years at the contract sum of N125m only with expiration period of two years," the letter signed by Ibrahim Gusau, secretary tenders board, read. A series of "offer for property" letters from Legendark was written to the senate committee, and not the FCDA. Acknowledgement copies of the letters were received and signed by one Samuel Melaye.

One of the letters signed by Akpoti, entitled 'Offer for property on Plot 2 Pechora Close, Panama Crescent, Maitama, Abuja', read: ''Sequel to our letter dated 19th January, 2016 to your good office, we are glad to inform you that we have secured a property on the above named address, that meets your kind request. "The facilities of the property include: a seven-bedroom duplex with a mezzanine floor, a ballroom, a movie room, a four-bedroom boys' quarters, a swimming pool (and) internal parking space for 10 cars. "We hereby offer the property for rent/lease to you at the market/asking price of N45m per annum." The account details were stated as Guaranty Trust Bank, account number 021211999, sort code 058083228 and account name Legendark Consultants.

'PHONEY RESIDENCES'

The Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN), an advocacy group, had initially alleged that the presiding officers of the National Assembly received over N630m from FCDA as rent for "phoney" residences.

Olaniyonu had then dismissed the allegation as false. He said the four presiding officers of the National Assembly had been living in their personal residences, and that "they do not get paid by any federal government agency".

"There is no truth to the claim by this group. In fact, during the preparation of the budget, the Senate President and Speaker directed the FCDA to remove the N10bn voted for the construction of their official residences to save cost. The current leadership of the National Assembly will not be part of any illegal payment to anybody," he said.

However, Turaki Hassan, Dogara's spokesman, said the presiding officers of the National Assembly are entitled to official accommodation, "which is provided by the FCDA", and that how the agency does it is "entirely its business".

"Presiding officers of the National Assembly are entitled to official accommodation, which is provided for by the FCDA as the host of the National Assembly. The same is applicable to the president, vice president and the chief justice of Nigeria because their offices were not covered by the monetisation policy," he said.

"Consequently, no National Assembly presiding officer receives any money from any other source for accommodation or rent. The FCDA is solely responsible for providing official accommodation for presiding officers of the National Assembly and how it goes about it is entirely its business and not that of any presiding officer. It's callous, wicked and evil for any news medium to seek to perpetuate the mendacity that National Assembly presiding officers collected money from FCDA without any form of evidence whatsoever."