Panel approved to investigate government transactions

President Olusegun Obasanjo has approved the establishment of a seven-man committee to investigate all transactions between January 1994 and 27 May 1999 involving government landed property, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reported on Tuesday. Quoting presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe, it said the measure was in line with an electoral pledge that Obasanjo would tackle corruption head on. The panel will identify all federal landed property, decide which ones have been or are in danger of being sold, leased, given away and “determine the propriety of such transactions”. In addition, NTA said, the panel will decide whether the transactions were in the public interest and, if not, “recommend appropriate action against the public officers implicated in the transactions”. The body will be headed by Oluwale Rotimi. It is to be inaugurated on Monday and will have 90 days to complete its business.