Following the reports on the remitting of government funds into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) funds, Dino Melaye, a senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, on Tuesday, November 17, debunked it as false allegations.
He raised it as a point of order on the floor of the senate while lashing a publication on This Day newspaper on remita (the e-payment and e-collection software used for the implementation of payments into the TSA)
He cleared the air that the writer raised the abnormality going on with the implementation of the TSA saying the Senate was against it which he said was false.
Melaye added that the Senate did not implicate President Muhammadu Buhari of being involved in TSA controversy.
“We will not stop carrying out our legislative duties for fear of being blackmailed.
“I have a letter here that I am going to lay with this paper, written by the Director Banking and payment of CBN to the Managing Director of Systemspec, where the CBN categorically stated that they should remit the one per cent that they collected.
“I also have a letter here by the Managing Director of that company to the Accountant General of the Federation and the Governor of CBN that have completely buttressed and elicited our decision last week. So for people to blackmail us is irresponsible, it is not acceptable to me and the Senate.
“Never would we allow blackmail and political and economic bigot to destroy the people. We are for the people and we will stand in defending public interest,” he said.
He added that his singular prayer is that the article should be referred to the relevant committee for proper investigation.
In response, the Senate president, Bukola Saraki said no amount of either blackmail or intimidation will stop the Senate from performing their duties.
Saraki said: “It is time the committees are inaugurated so that they can start work immediately because this matter came up last week and we have set up three committees to take a look at the issue.
“The fact will come out and everybody will have opportunity before that committee to state the fact.
“We have a responsibility here to ensure that there are no leakages in government funds and if they are we will call the attention of the public and do whatever it takes and there is no amount of intimidation that will stop us.”
Last Wednesday, the Senate referred the matter to the committee on finance and public accounts. The committee is to commence investigation into the use of Remita, an e-collection agent for the collection of one percent of 2.5 trillion which summed up to N25 billion.
Recall that Fayose had said that there was a diversion of the TSA funds to bankroll elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.
However, Lai Mohammed had yesterday lashed out at Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose for alleging fraud in the implementation of the TSA. He denied the allegations on the grounds that the amount received by the company is not up to the said amount.
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