The report from the recent public hearing held on the Centenary City project has been described as misleading as its conclusions are not derived from the information made available to the Committee.
Hon Herman Hembe, who chairs the Committee has been accused by some members of the Committee of doctoring the report.
The recommendations contained in the report have been described as outlandish by embarrassed lawmakers from both chambers of the National Assembly.
It would be recalled that the controversial two-day public hearing was a complete fiasco.
The first day of the hearing saw former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, openly accusing the Chairman, Hon. Herman Hembe, of not following National Assembly procedures and protocols in determining stakeholders to be invited.
Hembe was also accused of personal bias against the former SGF because of his refusal to use his office at the time to facilitate the sack of Arunma Oteh, the then Director-General of Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), who accused Hembe of demanding bribes from her.
Also on the first day of the hearing, former Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed frowned at Hembe’s heckling of the audience and his colleagues, wondering why he would not allow most Committee members and invited stakeholders to speak.
Findings revealead that Committee Members were not briefed by the Chairman.
The members had also not received the written submissions of invited organizations like CCPLC and NEPZA, as well as relevant documentation from the FCTA, the Presidency and the Office of the SGF.
In the end, Chairman of the House Committee, Hon Herman Hembe, concluded the public hearing.
He relied on a dated and gazetted land swap agreement that had been overtaken by a subsequent order of Mr. President in whom all FCT land inheres; and who may determine and direct on its use at any time.
It is instructive that the findings of the Senate Committee of FCT on the same issue, which took due recognizance of all the material facts, is completely at variance with Hembe’s disjointed and misleading report.
