N22.7trn Ways & Means: House Of Reps Denies $15m Bribe From Executive

The House of Representatives has denied reports alleging that $15 million was received from the executive arm of government in order to approve the request of President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure the N22.7trillion Ways and Means advances taken from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

in a statement issued on Friday, spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, who described the report as malicious, said that the allegations were not only false but also baseless and unfounded.

He explained that usually, the House would have refrained from dignifying such a report with a response, having faith that all well-intentioned Nigerians would outrightly dismiss it.

“However, it has become imperative to address the report and the unfounded claims made therein for the benefit of all Nigerians. As elected representatives, our decisions and actions are taken in the public interest.

“It should be remembered that the house had temporarily deferred the approval of the executive’s request, following the recommendations of the relevant committees of the House, which called for further engagement with the executive to facilitate a comprehensive and meticulous analysis and deliberation on public interventions the executive earmarked the said request for.

“We implore the media to exercise restraint and desist from disseminating unfounded allegations that have the potential to tarnish the reputation of public institutions and individuals, particularly during this critical period when lawmakers are deeply engrossed in the political competition for the leadership positions in the impending 10th National Assembly,” he stated.