Senate summons, Okonjo-Iweala, Madueke, Sanusi, others

THE Senate has summoned the Ministers of Finance and Petroleum, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke respectively, to appear before it and explain the alleged overshooting of oil subsidy funds from N240 billion appropriated in the 2011 budget by National Assembly to N1.5 trillion.
Governor of Central Bank, Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido and the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service, NSC, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi were also summoned by the Senate Joint Committee probing the utilisation of subsidy funds.
Chairman of the Joint Committee comprised of Senate Committees on Finance, Appropriation and Petroleum Downstream, Senator Magnus Abe, who briefed journalists in Abuja said the government officials will appear on Thursday to explain the alleged mismanagement of the subsidy funds.
He said: “We will meet with the government agencies involved in the oil subsidy to get a clear brief from them as to the origin, nature, history and everything official about the operation of the oil subsidy in this country.
“The invitation by the joint committee to the government officials involved in the management of the fuel subsidy scheme states clearly that the committee has resolved to request their reactions in a written brief.
“We also said that the written brief should explain the entire procedure for administering the subsidy, sources of the fund and why they have been unprecedented rise in the quantum of subsidy in the later part of this year than we had at the beginning.
“Those invited include Minister of Finance, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala; Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Madueke, the GMD of NNPC, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, CG of Nigerian Custom Service, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority as well as Chief of Naval Staff.”
Abe assured that the probe would be transparent and open for all Nigerians to make their contributions, adding that it was not a witch-hunting exercise targeted at an institution or an individual.
He said: “The meeting with these heads of institutions and government agencies would be opened to Nigerians. We would meet them in an open fora and whatever they have to say to us, people would be privileged to hear whatever they say.
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