The House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee investigating the Nigeria’s subsidy payments on petroleum products since 2013 to date, has summoned the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Almustapha Aliyu issued the summons after the duo failed to appear before the committee to respond to allegations that about N6.7 trillion that has been spent on petrol subsidy this year alone.
The committee turned back the representatives of both the CBN and the FIRS on the grounds that they lack the competence to respond to questions on the information being sought by the panel, adding that none of them had authority letter from their respective principals for such representation.
A member of the committee, Mr Mark Gbillah, who dropped the observation said; “It is said that N6.7 trillion in less than a year is being expended on subsidy. We could expect that the CBN Governor would come here personally to address such an issue and the FIRS chairman as well. I guess they believe this issue is not important enough for them to be here.”
Also speaking on actions of the FIRS boss, another member of the committee, Mr Abdul Ganiyu Olododo, queried the absence of the FIRS boss.
The Committee directed the CBN governor and the FIRS Chairman to appear before the committee on Monday next week, and warned that failure would make them take the next line of action as it was empowered by the constitution.
