Senate Orders Kpakol's Arrest over" Keke NAPEP" Fraud.

enate Committee on Public Accounts yesterday ordered the arrest of the National Coordinator of National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Dr. Magnus Kpakol, for failing to appear before it.

Kpakol was last week asked by the Committee to appear yesterday to respond to a number of queries raised by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation on the purchase of tricycles popularly known as "Keke NAPEP."

A whopping N2.4 billion was said to have been spent on the purchase of the tricycles. Kpakol's explanations when he appeared before the Committee Tuesday, last week, were considered unsatisfactory by the Committee.

The Committee had directed that he should come with relevant documents to yesterday's rescheduled meeting but he (Kpakol) shunned the directive by staying away, thus stalling the Committee's investigation into the purchase of 5,000 units of the tricycles and the supply of only 500 units, consequent upon the audit queries.

Chairman of the Senate Committee, Ahmad Lawan, had told Kpakol last week that he would be required on appearance yesterday to answer queries bordering on the N150 million expended on the purchase of spare parts and the award of the contract to a Lagos-based company with payment made upfront.

The Committee also said that was also discovered that the approval of the Executive Council of the Federation was not given before the contract was awarded; no evidence of 'certificate of no objection' received from the Due process office while the method and manner in which the contract was selected to supply the tricycle was shredded in secrecy.

The Committee, acting on the audit queries, sought to know why as at August 2008, only 500 units of the tricycles were delivered to NAPEP, leaving a balance of 4,500 units yet to be supplied.

Kpakol was to explain why no single spare parts were supplied despite the payment of N150 million.

Besides, the committee wanted explanations as to why a mandatory 5 percent VAT and 5 percent Withholding Tax (WHT) deductions amounting to N240 million was not made, thus resulting in loss of revenue to Federal government.

Specifically on the issue of the tricycles, the audit queries said that each was bought at the rate of N45,000 but sold at 50 per cent discount to poor Nigerians to alleviate their sufferings.

It disclosed that NAPEP, after taking delivery of the tricycles, sold them in bulk to another Abuja-based company at 50 per cent discount, which amounted to a reduced price of N22,500.

Committee Chair, Lawan and members were not happy yesterday that Kpakol shunned the committee's invitation, a development which left them with no other choice than to invoke the provisions of the 1999 Constitution ordering the issuance of a warrant of arrest to be issued on Kpakol and in accordance with Legislative Procedure Act.

The relevant authorities would, by the warrant of arrest, once signed and dispatched, be required to produce Kpakol before the Senate Committee at a chosen date.

Lawan said, "I will advise that public officers who are entrusted with public funds to be responsible and if they think they are above the law, they should quit and allow those who will serve to take over. The National Assembly and indeed the Public Accounts committee will stand firm and remain consistent."

If the person that put him there does not follow the dictates of the constitution, how can he be expected to follow due process and constitution? The earlier we realise that we have VIPs (Vagabonds in Power) imposed on us, the better for our heart's health. "VIPs" can't do better than that. God save Nigeria!

Amen to that. This is the kind of story the media should highlight and stay with for as long as it takes.

Corrupt people will always ask for evidence and it is only corrupt people that ask for evidence as if bribe money comes with receipt,�