Mikky Kazzim Kinsmen Drag Him To EFCC

Hon. Mikky Kazzim

ABEOKUTA - Kinsmen of a Federal House of Representatives, representing Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode federal constituency in Ogun State, Hon. Mikhail Kazzim have dragged him before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged misappropriation of constituency project funds meant for their communities. 

The petitioners, Johnson Akin-Soyinka from Odeda; Olu Ayinde from Abeokuta-North Local Government; Wale Atanda from Obafemi-Owode Local Government; and Funmi Akinwale from Abeokuta North Local Government jointly signed the petition addressed to the zonal head of the commission in Lagos.

In the petition which was obtained by our reporter, the petitioners alleged that Kazzem had been “diverting monetary and material budgetary allocations to the constituency to his personal use.”

They further stated that members of the constituency had not benefited from the constituency projects captured in 2016 , 2017 and 2018 budgets.

They called on the EFCC to probe the projects allocated to the constituency in the past three years.

The petition read in part, “We therefore call on you to use your good offices to investigate the projects captured in 2016, 2017 and 2018 appropriation for the constituency but were  never delivered to the constituency while money was released for same.”

But the member of House of Representatives described the allegations as false, asking the petitioners to crosscheck the information in the ministry in charge of constituency projects.

He said, “All these allegations are false and not true. The petitioners need to go back and check from the ministry if 100 per cent of these funds were released.

“Ask them how much was released. After that, they need to ask for the contractors who carried out the projects. The petitioners also need to come to the constituency and ask from the people if the projects were executed.

“If you are conversant with the MDAs, these days you hardly see them allocating 70 per cent to lawmakers. These projects were executed in my constituency, even with the low funding.

“We went to schools in my constituency; they were given educational materials, including bags and others.

“With this, they can’t get me. They need more materials and do a lot of findings if truly they want to nail me.”

When asked if the EFCC had contacted him on the allegation, he said he had yet to get any invitation.

He said, “The EFCC will not jump on you overnight over a petition or letter; they will do their findings and confirm if the letter is false or true.

“The EFCC is a reputable institution that knows what to do.  I am not here to be threatened by anybody or institution when I have done nothing wrong.  The EFCC has not contacted me.