By Paul Effiong, Abuja
The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Agriculture Subsidy Intervention Funds, AIDS and Grants Programmes has expressed strong displeasure over what it described as the nonchalant attitude of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in repeatedly refusing to honour its invitations.
The panel raised the alarm during the continuation of its investigative hearing yesterday at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, warning that several invited public institutions and their chief executives had deliberately failed to appear without providing satisfactory explanations.
In his opening remarks, the committee chairman, Mr Jamo Aminu, decried what he termed persistent disregard for parliamentary authority, stressing that the panel would not hesitate to invoke relevant provisions of the law to enforce compliance.
Mr Aminu said the National Assembly derives its powers from the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and is legally empowered to summon, and where necessary to order the arrest of, any chief executive officer or institution acting in defiance of its directives.
Also speaking, the deputy chairman, Mr Sunday Umeha, expressed concern over the repeated absence of chief executives of government agencies invited to appear before the committee, noting that such conduct undermines Parliament and accountability.
He said the committee’s mandate, as directed by the House, was to probe the utilisation of public funds and grants, including how they were disbursed and the identities of beneficiaries.
Earlier, Mr Umeha moved a motion calling for the issuance of summonses against any defaulting officials who failed to appear before the committee, a proposal that received unanimous support from members.
The lawmakers reiterated their resolve to discharge their mandate to Nigerians, noting that this was the basis upon which the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, inaugurated the ad-hoc panel.
Among the agencies summoned to appear at the next hearing are the National Bureau of Statistics NBS, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, among others.
As the probe into the management of intervention funds continues, representatives of some financial institutions, including Unity Bank and Access Bank, appeared at yesterday’s session but were directed to return next week due to the absence of comprehensive documentation showing the beneficiaries of the grants.
