How I escaped N2.4bn car scandal – Bankole

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, has broken his silence over the allegation of N2.4bn car scandal levelled against him by some members of the House. The House of Representatives, between 2009 and 2010, was embroiled in a controversy over N2.4 bn meant for the purchase of 370 cars for the House committee members, but which was allegedly misappropriated by the Speaker. The development gave rise to a plan to remove the speaker by a group called Integrity Group, led by Mr. Dino Melaye Bankole, who spoke as the guest speaker at a lecture, organized by Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, described the allegations by the members as saddening. He said,, ‘I escaped the plot because I did not steal any kobo of the House, If I steal, I will know I have stolen, but I have stolen nothing and I have a good parentage history which I cannot afford to destroy” Bankole alleged that his accusers superimposed the old price list of the Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, the company saddled with the supply, on the new price list. “Out of desperation to nail me, they superimposed 2006 price list over 2009 price list but what they did not know was that original prices of PAN have special code on them . I did not know that, until I was told. “The number one exhibit was thrown away following the discovery. They even said that the transaction was made with Zenith Bank cheque. We called Zenith Bank and Zenith Bank said the House did not have any account with the bank , the Speaker or any of the concerned people did not have any account with them, their second exhibit became null and void,” he said. He said he was shocked when the same group after some time later came up with a seven day ultimatum for him to resign or risk impeachment. “I had to come home to report them, let us thank God, the seven-day ultimatum given to me by those people lapsed and something happened seven days after the ultimatum. All the people that gave me the ultimatum were removed from the House,” Bankole said. He stated that the crisis then was over the allocation of members of committees of the House, saying that some members of the group felt aggrieved that they were not made members or heads of “juicy committees”. He charged the youth to see themselves as the leaders of today and not tomorrow, adding that a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, became the Head of State at the age of 29 and former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Murtala Muhammed ruled the country in their early 30s. By Francis Falola, Courtesy Of: Punch