The Committee on Public Petitions in the House of Representatives has authorized the arrest of Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, the Central Bank Governor, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, the Accountant General of the Federation, and 17 others. This action is a result of their failure to attend the committee’s proceedings and respond to inquiries regarding their operational activities.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep Fred Agbedi (PDP-Bayelsa) at the committee’s hearing on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, Agbedi emphasized that issuing the arrest warrant had become necessary due to the uncooperative stance of the individuals invited. He pointed out that despite being invited four times, the CEOs failed to participate in the parliamentary proceedings.
Agbedi asserted that, in accordance with the parliament’s adherence to schedules, the Inspector General of Police should execute the warrant of arrest to compel the CEOs to appear before the committee. He emphasized that the Speaker, Rep Tajudeen Abbas, should ensure due diligence in this process.
In response, the Committee Chairman, Rep Micheal Irom (APC-Cross River), ruled that the Inspector General should guarantee the CEOs’ presence before the committee on December 14.
Earlier, the petitioner, Mr Fidelis Uzowanem, grounded the petition on the 2021 report of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). Uzowanem explained that upon scrutinizing the report, they uncovered a consolidation of fraudulent activities in the oil and gas industry dating back to 2016.
He highlighted that the proposed 2024 budget of 27.5 trillion could be adequately funded from the recoverable amounts identified in the NEITI report. According to him, the report exposed clandestine transactions in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), involving cash payments to companies that did not produce crude oil, disguised as amounts meant for crude oil production.
