Defi nitely, these are not the best of times for the Nigerian Senate.
Th is is because, the most revered, honourable chamber and the highest law making organ of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been infi ltrated by some elements who can best be described as ‘dishonourable, disgruntled and chronic liars’.
Th ey also lack any iota of integrity and honour to warrant them step into the Red Chamber, let alone sit there as senators.
Th is, the leadership of the Senate must act fast by fl ushing out such bad elements in order to regain and maintain its ‘distinguished’ status.
Th e sorry state of the Senate came to the fore recently when a serving senator representing Bauchi Central who is also the Senate Committee chairman on Navy, Senator Isah Hamman Misau, raised spurious allegations against the Nigeria Police Force.
In his allegations, Misau said that the police authorities collect bribe for special promotions.
As sensitive as the allegation is, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, immediately inaugurated a Special Investigation Panel on August 11, 2017, to investigate the allegations so as to ensure that disciplinary actions are meted out to those who might be found guilty.
Th e terms of reference of the panel include to investigate the complaints from Senator Isah Hamma Misau on allegations that Police offi cers pay bribe for special promotion; to investigate other complaints, petitions and grievances from Police offi cers within the Force and from other members of the public on allegations of giving money for promotion, either special or otherwise and to determine the substance of the complaints, petitions and grievances from aggrieved Police offi cers and members of the public on allegations of giving money for special promotion.
Other terms of reference include to determine those who were involved and to recommend appropriate judicial action and other punishments as it is appropriate in line with the provisions of Public Service Rules Section 030401 (j) (k) and other statutory enabling laws/Acts.
In order to give the senator the opportunity to meet with the committee face to face and ‘expose further’ the alleged corrupt practices going on in the police force, he was invited, but, unfortunately, he failed to honor the invitation.
“Th e Special Investigation Panel sent 2 invitation letters to Senator Isah Hamman Misau: (i) for him to meet with the panel, was sent through the Senate President (ii) while, the other was written directly to him to provide evidence in written form to substantiate and shed light on his allegations and assist the panel to carry out a thorough and discreet investigation into the matter, but he declined and when some members of the panel visited him, he bluntly refused to make statement on his allegations,” the Force Spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, revealed.
Having refused to utilise the opportunity given to him to speak further on the allegations so that the police can take the appropriate measures to sanitise the system and prevent a recurrence of such corrupt tendencies (if discovered to be true), he again granted another interview and called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to probe the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over alleged of bribery for special promotions.
Th e question thus is: Is that the manner and way a ‘Distinguished’ senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is supposed to behave? Th is, therefore, called to question the integrity and uprightness of Misau.
Th is also confl icts and challenged his capacity, maturity and worthiness to be called a Distinguish Senator.
He should therefore come out and tell the world the REAL grouse he is having with the Nigeria Police Force.
He should come out and tell the world what is his motive and who is sponsoring him.
It would be recalled that recently, Senator Misau was attacked by angry youth of his constituency at Manu Primary School in Ningi town for alleged non performance.
It is also on record that this man who calls himself a senator cannot even go to his own constituency, because of his alleged arrogant and fraudulent manners with his people.
He is now called Abuja senator.
It is also worthy of note that Misau, before joining politics deserted the Nigeria Police Force which is a criminal off ence under the Nigerian law for anyone to desert the Nigeria Police Force or Military.
It is an off ence for which he should be arrested and prosecuted, because the force is still claiming that he is still a police offi cer.
Abayomi, a public aff airs analyst, writes from Abuja
