By Oladele Ogunsola, Ibadan.
Following the alleged payment of allowances to the former governor of Plateau State and current Senator serving a jail term over corruption ,Joshua Dariye, the management of the National Assembly (NASS), a human rights activist, Comrade Mashood Erubami has called for auditing of various government accounts to unravel such unlawful payments here and there.
Erubami, who is also the President/Convener of the Voters’ Assembly suspected such illegal payments abound in government and only panel of auditors could trace and unravel how and where such illegal money goes.
It would be recalled that the Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial districts in Plateau State at the Senate was sentenced to some years imprisonment some months ago by a Federal High Court, a verdict later upheld by the Court of Appeal.
However, media report later had it that about N15m was paid to him as his outstanding allowances towards the end of last year, a development that generated hues and cries, and which Erubami has condemned in a chat with our reporter in Ibadan.
According to the activist, “there are other such fraudulent payments elsewhere which are yet to be detected and externalised”, adding, “it will surprise everybody the huge amount that have been stolen from the public accounts.
“The Federal Government should set up a Panel of Auditors to carry investigations into the salary payment of governors and legislators with the view to unearth months that the salaries and emoluments of past governors was not stopped, and if found to have continued, what amount is involved”, he said.
He maintained that the payment of allowances to Dariye who is in prison is not the prerogative of Saraki but that of the management of the National Assembly, saying, “all that Saraki can do now is to stop the payments and give instruction to reverse the payments already credited into Dariye’s account.
“There will be avalanche of such hidden staggering payment in the account of legislators which have not been exposed. Such money was reported to be paid into the account of Saraki months after he left office in Kwara State as governor. He did not give instruction for the money to be paid to him but this has been the mode of syphoning money from the government accounts”, he stated further.
