THE Senate on Tuesday alleged threats to the lives of its members and intimidation and blackmail over its insistence on probing the N19.5 billion intervention fund released by the Federal Government in 2006 for the development of infrastructure in the aviation industry.
Besides, the Senate President, Senator David Mark, raised the alarm that there were attempts to bribe senators from probing the fund and unnearthing how it was spent, but warned those he said were attempting to suppress the truth by bribing the senators to desist.
The Senate President, speaking while declaring open the public hearing on the application and utilisation of the N19.5 billion intervention fund, said senators would rather die than to take bribe and write a wrong report.
Mark appealed to those involved to give the Senate, especially the chairman and members of the aviation committee probing the fund, a free hand to do their work rather than threatening them and attempting to bribe them.
But the Senate President blamed the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Anyim Ude, for �dancing round� the issue of bribery rather than stating it clearly in his statement, telling him to call a spade a spade.
The Senate President said: �I appeal to all and sundry to give the committee a free hand to do its work. Please, there is no point in coming and attempting to bribe them because we should call a spade a spade. I don�t know why he (Senator Ude) went round and round. I think people are making that effort.
�The distinguished senators will rather lay down their lives than take bribes and write a wrong report. Nobody should try it because efforts and attempts are already being made and I think it is unnecessary. If you don�t want this in public, you can be heard in camera and we are going to get the facts. The important thing is for us to get the facts.�
Giving reasons why the probe must be carried out, Senator Mark said the problems of the aviation industry were pressing and that the state of the industry called for urgent attention.
Disturbed by the various reports of obsolete facilities at the airports, the Senate President said the Senate referred the poor state of safety on the airports to the committee and directed it to visit all airports in the country and report back to the Senate.
He said the public hearing was not a witch-hunt or to ridicule anyone but �as a corrective measure to put our feet back on the track if we have missed the pathway,� saying that the committee would do a good job.
Chairman of Senate Aviation Committee, Senator Ude, said forces outside the National Assembly had been threatening, intimidating and blackmailing them, to frustrate the investigation, saying that they would rely on God for protection.
�Let me tell you that since the Senate under your focused leadership took that decision, some forces outside the hallowed chambers have been making efforts to introduce some elements of threat, intimidation and blackmail designed to frustrate the investigation.
�But let me on behalf of members of my committee assure you that we intend to execute the Senate mandate in a manner that will be fair to all concerned. In doing so, we shall rely on God, the ultimate Chief Security Officer, for protection,� he said.
He insisted that his committee would not succumb to threats and intimidation but would ask frank questions, seeks fruitful answers and dwell on facts and figures on how the N19.5 billion was spent as well as find out whether due process was followed in the disbursement and utilisation of the fund.