CLOSE-UP: Hembe, the three-term lawmaker who ‘fought’ top officials of Jonathan’s govt

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.