Nigeria's Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and her predecessor, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, have been summoned to appear before the House of Representatives at the National Assembly.
Okonjo & Adeosun
The Federa House of Representatives has summoned the immediate past Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the current Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun have been summoned to appear before it over alleged abuse and breach of the Procurement Act, 2007.
According to Vanguard newspaper, the house’s Committee on Public Procurement, which invited the ministers, directed that they should appear before it on Tuesday.
Others expected to appear before the committee are former Head of Service (HoS), Steve Otunla and former Accountant-General to the Federation (AoGF), Jonah Otunla.
The committee in an investigative hearing on Monday in Abuja, said that summoning the top officials was to ensure proper investigation.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Oluwole Oke (Osun-PDP), who issued the order inviting the officials, read the Riot Act to all Ministers and Accounting Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said “the shortest way to Kuje prison is through breach of procurement laws.”
Worried at the slow pace of the investigative hearing due to the poor attitude of civil servants towards releasing of vital documents, the committee attended to only those who made available necessary documents.
The members decried the discrepancies between the submissions made by Federal Ministry of Finance and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
They observed that out of the 12 pre-shipment Inspectors and two monitors, who benefited from the N17 billion, seven were appointed in line with due process while five were appointed through the back door.