Senate president in corruption inquiry

Senate President Chuba Okadigbo agreed on Wednesday to testify in camera before a committee investigating allegations of widespread corruption among members of this upper chamber of the national assembly, according to news reports. Okadigbo and his deputy, Haruna Abubakar, are both accused of “mishandling public funds and running a system of kickbacks” in awarding contracts at the assembly, AFP reported. The committee’s public hearings this week have attracted “great national interest”, the BBC said. However, it added, the chairman of the panel agreed to hold Okadigbo and his deputy’s hearings behind closed doors “out of respect for their office”. At the hearings earlier this week, AFP reported, Okadigbo was accused of spending 37 million naira (US $356,000) of public funds on his new official home. He and his deputy are also accused of rejecting a four-billion-naira ($39 million) tender by the German construction firm Julius Berger to build 600 national assembly offices, while the deal was awarded to French firm Bouygues and Germany’s ITB for 11 billion naira ($106 million).