Reps summon Emefiele, NNPC, DSS boss over absence – TheNigerialawyer

The House of Representatives has summoned the Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; Group Managing Director
of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari; and
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali
(retd.); and the Director-General, Department of State Services,
Yusuf Bichi.

The Federal Government officials were summoned for failing to
attend an investigative hearing organised by the House on the
moribund state of ports in the country, leading to the congestion
and perennial gridlock at the Apapa Port, Lagos State.

The hearing held in Abuja on Thursday was organised by the House
ad hoc set up to ‘determine why the Warri, Port Harcourt, Calabar,
Onne and Onitsha inland ports complexes are not being put to
maximal use.’

Also absent from the hearing was the Bureau of Public
Enterprises and the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control, according to the roll call of invited
stakeholders taken at the opening of the event.

Chairman of the committee, Mr Buba Yakub, had frowned at the
non-appearance by the officials, who he described as critical
stakeholders in the maritime sector, a major part of the country’s
economy.

“This is a slap on the face of the institution, we will not
condone it,” Yakub stated.

The committee, at the close of the hearing, after stakeholders
in attendance had made their presentations, resolved that the
absent officials must appear before the panel on Monday.

Yakub warned that the lawmakers would be forced to invoke their
constitutional powers if those summoned failed to attend the next
sitting by the panel.