Two committees in the House of representatives are now at war over the recent call for the resignation of Minister of Finance and the coordinating minister of the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The joint committees of House of Representatives on Petroleum Upstream and Gas Resources warned the House Committee Chairman on Finance, under the leadership of Abdulmumin Jibrin to desist front defending the Minister.
In a joint statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Muraino Ajibola and Chairman, Committee on Gas Resources, Bassey Ewa, noted that Jubrin has been misleading the members of the public on the issues of Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC).
They cautioned Jubrin to stop “poke-nosing” into the affairs of their respective committees.
Besides, Jibrin had recently called for the investigation of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison Madueke over alleged mismanagement of the ministry which provides the bulk of the country’s revenue rather than the call for the resignation of Okonjo Iweala.
This was Jibrin’s reaction to the call by Governor Rotimi Ameachi led Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF that the Finance Minister, Dr Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
Jibrin had stated that it is not the Minister of Finance but rather Allison Madueke, that needs to answer accountability questions because “nobody knows the quantum of crude we produce per day in this country, the Minister is not giving out any information and nobody is asking her”.
The joint statement of the Petroleum Committees read in parts: “By our rules, since the Petroleum Committees have primary jurisdiction on the Ministry of Petroleum and its Agencies, other Committees of the House can request for first hand information from us as the need arises.
”Unfortunately, our colleague has never taken advantage of this but is interested in projecting the Petroleum Committees as not performing their oversight functions.
”We have noted with great concern Abdulmumin’s attempt to divert Nigerians’ attention from the statement credited to the NGF on where and how the sovereign wealth fund is being managed which falls within the purview of his office as the Chairman Committee on Finance.
“It is indeed the saddest day for our democracy and it smacks of compromise that a legislator and of course the chairman of Committee on Finance of the House of Representatives is now the public relations officer of a minister.
“We would have dismissed this statement in the greater interest of protecting the image and sanctity of the House of Representatives (so that the institution will not be seen as divided against itself), but this rejoinder has become imperative on account of the following: Abdulmumin’s press statement is an indictment that the Petroleum Committees of the House of Representatives are not performing their oversight function as required by the Rules of the House” it was stated.
On his part, Jibrin simply pointed out that he has always been a staunch critic of the minister for over two years ago as his reaction was not meant to witch-hunt anyone.
“For two years I was the number one critic of the Minister of Finance, I only stated the obvious”, he said.
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