The Ministers of Agriculture and Meals Safety, Abubakar Kyari, his Science, Era, and Innovation counterpart, Uche Nnaji, and Price range and Financial Making plans, Atiku Bagudu, are one of the most high-profile govt functionaries anticipated to seem earlier than the Space of Representatives Committee on Renewable Power on Wednesday.
The Committee, chaired through the member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Anambra Climate, Afam Ogene is investigating the utilisation of over $2bn funding and grants for the improvement of renewable power assets in Nigeria from 2015 until age.
The committee argued utmost future that in spite of the plethora grants and funding within the sector, the facility provide within the nation has persisted to aggravate.
Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 and six November 2024, the investigative listening to follows the mandate given to the Committee on June 6, 2024, to research Ministries, Segments, and Companies keen on investments, procurement, and receipt of grants for renewable power sector construction.
On the graduation of the investigative listening to on Tuesday, not one of the ministers confirmed up, who prefer to ship representatives, maximum of whom have been requested to go back to their numerous places of work.
Expressing his unhappiness on the turnout, Ogene recommended the involved ministers and alternative govt officers to seem earlier than the Committee unfailingly on Wednesday.
The Labour Celebration lawmaker reminded representatives of invited govt officers that the facility to summon society officials for investigation is vested in each chambers of the Nationwide Meeting.
He mentioned, “Let me state this again: Section 81 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended) provides that ‘Each House of the National Assembly shall have power by resolution published in its journal or in the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation to direct an investigation into any matter or thing with respect to which it has the power to make laws.”
He added that this energy contains probing into “the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, Ministry or government department charged, or intended to be charged, with the duty of or responsibility for executing or administering monies appropriated or to be appropriated by the National Assembly.”
On the graduation of the listening to, Ogene referred to as at the Price range and Financial Making plans to seem earlier than the committee to build his presentation. Then again, a director within the ministry, Felix Okonkwo, gave the impression by and for the minister.
Requested if he had the mandate of the minister to talk, Okonkwo mentioned, “I can take some responsibilities but not all.”
No longer happy with the statement, Ogene recommended him to travel again and tell his essential to bodily seem on Wednesday.
“Tell your minister to appear before this committee on Wednesday. It is not meant to witch-hunt anybody. A situation where invitations are sent about three times to heads of MDAs and they would still not appear to make their presentations is not acceptable,” he mentioned.
The tale was once disagree other when Deputy Director of the Ministry of Science and Era, Suleiman Abubakar, mounted in for the minister.
Requested if he was once delegated to talk for the minister, Suleiman mentioned his directorate mandated him to wait the investigative listening to.
Ruling at the construction, Ogene mentioned, “You have no locus to stand in for the Minister. He should appear in person on Wednesday. We wrote to the Minister, not a directorate.”
Additionally anticipated on the investigative listening to on Wednesday are the Minister of Petroleum Assets (Fuel), Ekperikpe Ekpo, Workplace of the Accountant Normal of the Federation, Union Depot of Nigeria, Niger Delta Energy Retaining Corporate and Union Depot of Nigeria Plc.