Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja
The Programme Director of the Africana Leadership Institute in the University of Kansas, United States, Mr. Aminu Gusau, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged breach of contract by the Special Adviser and Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Dr. Mohammed Abba-Aji and Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, respectively.
Gusau is alleging in an April 22, 2010 petition addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, and received by the commission on May 5, 2010, that Abba-Aji and Ojougboh refused to satisfy the agreed terms for the provision of executive leadership training for a select members of group of the National Assembly.
He alleged that the presidential aides and the management of the Africana Leadership Institute agreed that 20 members of the National Assembly would be given executive leadership training by the University of Kansas at $4,000 per lawmaker..
He noted that the training, which was originally meant for December 6-11, 2009, was rescheduled to January 19-24, 2010.
He explained that the $80,000 was meant for the logistic put in place for the training of 10 members of the Senate and 10 of their counterparts from the House of Representatives.
Gusau further said in the petition that in spite of the agreement that 20 participants were expected to take part in the training, Abba-Aji and Ojougboh reduced the number to five, on January 19, 2009; which, according to him, was unacceptable.
He said that only three lawmakers were presented at the executive training sessions.
He gave their names as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Narcotics and Financial Institutions; Senator Nkechi Nwaorgu, the Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Millenium Development Goals, Mr. Aribisala Adewale; and Mary Laniyan, said to be a consultant, attended the programme on January 20, 2010.
He insisted that Abba-Aji and Ojougboh made a total payment of $20,000 for the programme and had refused to pay the balance of $60,000, as allegedly agreed to in the deal.
Gusau said that the institute would involve the US embassy in Nigeria, US Homeland Security Department and the Immigration service; which could lead to the denial of visas to the affected lawmakers whose names were listed for the training programme.
He called on the EFCC to intervene by looking into the details of the agreement, in the interest of the image of the country and the Nigerian professionals in the US.
But Abba-Aji said that while he was aware of the arrangement, he was not aware of the petition written to the EFCC on the issue.
The presidential aide, who spoke on the issue in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said that the sum of $20,000 paid for the conference constituted the fee for the lawmakers who attended the conference.
He accused Gusau and the university of trying to make money without rendering necessary services.
He explained that only three lawmakers attended the event because the period coincided with the failed alleged bomb attack by Nigerian student, Umar AbdulMutallab, on an American airline, in December; which made it difficult for Nigerians to travel through international airports at the time.
