The minister of interior, Comptroller General of Customs, and the Controller of Immigration have been issued a warning to appear
The House of Representatives committee on customs and excise has called on President Bola Tinubu to dismiss heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) who fail to honor invitations from the legislature.
The call was made during an investigative hearing held at the national assembly complex in Abuja on Monday, where several key stakeholders were notably absent.
Rep. Abiante Abiante (PDP Rivers), a member of the committee, made the appeal, arguing that the refusal of MDA heads to appear before the parliament signifies their lack of commitment to the responsibilities entrusted to them by the president.
“Failure to respond to invitations from the parliament is a clear indication that they are not ready for the job they have been given. This cannot be tolerated,” Abiante stated.
The hearing, convened to investigate the modernization project of the Nigeria Customs Service, also known as E-Customs, was marked by the absence of critical stakeholders, including the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi; and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap. All were represented by subordinates, a move the committee deemed unacceptable..
Rep. Olumide Osoba (APC Ogun), another committee member, moved a motion to postpone the hearing to a later date, ensuring that the heads of the MDAs would appear in person. The motion was unanimously supported by the committee, prompting the chairman, Rep. Leke Abejide (APC Kogi), to announce the postponement of the hearing. Abejide assured that a new date would be fixed soon to allow all invited parties to attend.
In his opening remarks, Rep. Abejide highlighted the importance of investigating the E-Customs modernization project to enhance trade facilitation and border security across the country. He also reiterated the constitutional mandate of the National Assembly to conduct oversight functions, warning that repeated absenteeism by MDA heads could lead to the issuance of warrants of arrest.
“This is not for us. It’s for Nigerians and for the progress of the country. So if there’s any stakeholders that are not present, we will invoke the rot of the law and then show them that we are not joking here.” Abejide warned
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Yagba east/ Yagba west/ Mopamuro federal constituency, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Rep. Abejide throughout the 10th House here
