Only on Thursday did Herman Hembe, former
chairman of the house of representatives committee
on the federal capital territory (FCT) celebrate his
42nd birthday, perhaps not knowing that the supreme
court would end his 10-year journey in the lower
chamber of the national assembly.

An All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from
Benue state, Hembe chaired different committees in
his legislative career.

He made headlines over some controversies involving
him and top government officials of the last
administration.

THE ‘WAR’ WITH OTEH

In 2012 when he was chairman of the house
committee on capital market, the house probed the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In the course of the probe, Arunma Oteh, director-
general of the commission, accused Hembe of
soliciting a bribe of N40 million from SEC, an allegation
he denied saying it was Oteh who offered him N30
million bribe.

The issue generated reactions across the nation and
Hembe alongside members of the committee were
forced to leave of the committee.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) subsequently quizzed and charged him to
court but he was not convicted.

HIS GROUSE WITH ANYIM

In February, Hembe presided over another probe panel
and this time around it was $18 billion Centenary City
project under the administration of former President
Goodluck Jonathan.

Bala Mohammed, the immediate past FCT minister,
and Anyim Pius Anyim, secretary to the government of
the federation under that era, were among the invited
officials.

Hembe alleged that there were several infractions
in the agreement signed by the office of the SGF and
management of the Centenary City Company Plc.

According to him, the spirit of the said agreement
violated the federal government gazette on land swap
programme, which ought to be the guideline for the
project.

The committee also claimed that the former minister
signed the right of occupancy and the certificate of
occupancy of the land on the same day in violation of
provisions of the gazette.

The chairman added that there was no evidence that
the company paid the 15 percent of 18 billion dollars
expected as initial payment for the development of the
city.

ANOTHER BRIBERY ALLEGATION

In his response, Anyim accused Hembe of “deep-
seated personal bias”, and demanded that he should
resign from the panel, and allow his deputy take over.
He also alleged that Hembe was conducting the
hearing to pursue a personal vendetta, saying the
chairman had pushed for the sack of Oteh but did not
achieve his aim.

Anyim alleged that Hembe solicited bribe from him, but
that he did not give in to his demand.

“Mr chairman, what I expect is that I should be able to
state my position and you rule,” he said.

“Mr chairman I said one, you have told everybody who
cared to listen that when the former DG of Security and
Exchange Commission accused you of demanding
bribe from her, you pushed for her to be sacked and I
refused to sack her while I was SGF and this is an
opportunity to pay me back.

“Mr chairman I will not allow you to use the national
assembly platform to pursue personal vendetta. It is
unacceptable and I will not submit to it. All I am
asking for is fair hearing.

“You have been threatening to conduct this public
hearing for over a year now, in fact you ended last
year with it, and this year you started with it. You
scheduled it for January 27, but later moved it to
February 1, and now moved it to February 3.

“Mr chairman, we only discovered your game plan for
all the postponement, when you started sending
message to the managing director of the project to see
you privately, and it was after all your efforts to get the
managing director to see you privately failed, that you
confirmed this date.

“I want you know that nobody will see you privately,
and we are here for the hearing, and we will have the
hearing.

Hembe denied the allegation and said he would not
allow Anyim usurp his position.

“Let me say that we are a house of laws. We are a
house of order. We are a house of due process. Let me
just say it to former president of the senate and former
SGF that in my opening remarks I have tried to show
you courtesy,” the FCT chairman said.

“Please don’t interrupt. As far as this hearing is
concerned, I am chairman, and I will not allow you
usurp that position. Don’t interrupt me! Don’t interrupt
me!”

Born in Zaria, Kaduna state on June 22, 1975, Hembe
obtained his Senior School Certificate from Mount
Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School Makurdi, Benue, in
1992. He thereafter, proceeded to the Benue State
University, Makurdi where he read Law. He graduated
in 2001 and proceeded to the Nigeria Law School,
Lagos where he obtained Barrister at Law (BL)
Certificate in 2003.

Hembe proceeded on the compulsory one-year youth
service to Ogun state and was posted to Nigeria
Immigration Service, Abeokuta for his primary
assignment.

TheCable