Iyabo Obasanjo risks suspension - Senate set to probe her

Taiwo Adisa, Abuja - 31.03.2008

THE senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, may be suspended from the Senate for at least seven days, or as long as the Senate wishes, if investigations reveal that she was involved in the N300 million scandal that rocked the Ministry of Health, leading to the resignation of two ministers and suspension of directors.

The Senate, which resumes on April 8, is set to investigate the conduct of its Committee on Health headed by Senator Obasanjo-Bello in relation to the loot-sharing exercise in the Ministry of Health.

A source said that if the committee chairman or any of the members was found wanting through the investigation, they would not only be subjected to prosecution by the anti-graft agencies, but would also lose their privileges in the Senate.

It was gathered that those wishing to push the Senate into investigating the matter would seek the suspension of the Ogun senator on the basis of Rule 74(1&3) of the Senate rules.

The Senate Standing Orders 2007 as amended in Rule 74 directs that senators must declare their pecuniary interests in issues ahead of deliberations on them. Rule 74(1) states: “A senator shall declare any direct pecuniary interest he may have in any matter coming before the Senate or a committee for deliberation.”

Rule 74(3) also states: “A senator who fails to declare his direct pecuniary interest in any such matter shall be liable to suspension from the sitting of the Senate and its committee for a period of not exceeding seven days or such number of days as the Senate may decide.”

Some senators who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune stated that while the matter of the incident at the Ministry of Health had been on even when the Senate was in session before the adjournment for Easter festivities, the Ogun senator kept quiet about her role in the whole saga and only recently spoke to a media outfit on her role.

Those against her role were said to have prepared an alternative view to the effect that she, as the committee chairman, should have made full disclosure ahead of the breaking of the news of the saga in the ministry.

“The decision we have all reached is that the Senate will fund all oversight functions of the committees, there are votes for that in our budget, so we don’t understand why the recourse to the ministry of Health for the retreat in Ghana,” a senator said.