Lawmakers Issue Trade Minister 24-Hour Ultimatum To Appear Before Committee

The House of Representatives Committee on Commence has given the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah a 24-hour ultimatum to appear before the  committee for the 2019 budget defence or risk zero appropriation in the  fiscal year.

The order was handed down on Thursday after the minister boycotted the budget defence after he had asked the committee to reschedule for the second time.

After waiting for over one hour, the lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with what they saw as the minister’s disrespectful attitude to the parliament, therefore calling for a bench warrant to be issued to bring him before the committee.

The position was however amended to give the minister a 24-hour ultimatum for the budget defence.

The Committee Chairman, Hon. Silvestre Ogbaga, said the committee was left with no other choice than to stop work on the consideration of

the ministry’s budget.

He also expressed displeasure that the minister had been hindering them on oversight duties and running away from defending the 2019 budget and had never called to inform them on his reason for such action.

The committee rejected the Permanent Secretary’s request to defend the budget, insisting that the minister has questions to answer, insisting that there are areas they need clarifications in the ministry’s 2018 budget.

In another development, the resumed hearing of the House of

Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating activities of the

Pension Commission and violation of PENCOM Act, uncovered N33billion pension fund released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which was not listed in the schedule of funds to be released to pension fund administrators by the Pension Commission (PENCOM).

The chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Hon. Ehiozuwa Agbonnayinma, threatened to issue bench warrant to compel the PFAs to appear before

the committee.

He has therefore summoned the CBN, Accountant General of the

Federation (AGF), and Director-General, Pension Commission to a

discussion to clarify details of the money in question.

The executive officer, Nigeria Union of Contributory Pensioners

(NUCP), Chief Aigbokhaleode Asimiafele and some other members of the

union present at the Thursday hearing Abuja, lamented that PENCOM has

been the obstacle to the smooth running of the scheme.