Nigeria Senate has insisted that its warrant of arrest
issued against the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
subsists, saying their move was in line with the legislative process of making
public servants to account for their actions.
Chairman of Ethics, Priviledges and Public Petitions,
Senator Ayo Akinyelure reacted to inquiries by newsmen in Abuja, following
the reported denial of ‘arrest warrant’ by the Senate Committee Chairman on
NDDC, Senator Peter Nwoboshi.
Recall that the Senate Committee on Ethics,
Priviledges and Public Petitions on 21st February 2021, issued a warrant of
arrest for the management of Niger Delta Development Commission to be brought
before it to account for how N6.25 billion palliative fund given to it by the
Federal Government was spent.
The Committee Chairman said Senator Nwoboshi might have been misquoted, insisting that his Committee’s warrant of arrest stands.
He said: “May be the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC was
quoted out of context.
“As far as we are concerned in the Senate Committee on
Ethics Priviledges, and Public Petitions, in our last meeting, we issued a
warrant of arrest and it still stands.
“We ruled that a warrant of arrest be issued to bring in the
management of NDDC to explain how palliative of N6.25 billion during COVID-19
pandemic was paid.
“We had earlier issued three invitation letters to bring in
the management of NDDC before the Committee, they never responded. And the
penalty contemplated before the last meeting was that, if by the last meeting,
they didn’t respond, the warrant of arrest be issued and that is what we did.
“At that time, there were a lot of problems in NDDC.
“The management Committee was dissolved by Mr. President,
but having now a Sole Administrator who was one of the management Committee,
they should come.”
The Chairman disclosed that the NDDC management following
the arrest order, had reached out to the Committee and promised to appear in
the next meeting.
“The Sole Administrator of NDDC, Effiong Akwa has already
sent a delegation to the Committee that in the next meeting, he’s going to
appear. The next meeting is yet to be fixed.
“They have been given instructions by the Committee that all
necessary defense they have concerning N6.25 billion fund, they should get
ready and we gave them three weeks so that they can prepare necessary defense
for them to come and explain,” he added.
He further explained that the process of getting a public
officer arrested takes time, noting that the Committee was serious in tackling
the NDDC.
“In the meantime, the process of issuing warrant of arrest
in Senate delays a little. It’s not just by pronouncement and warrant of arrest
is ready tomorrow.
“This is an institution of the National Assembly, there are
procedures for doing things. So when a warrant of arrest is issued to bring a
certain respondent to the Committee for their deliberate action not to honour a
Committee; under our rule, the Committee Chairman and others can resolve to
issue arrest warrant which accordingly is what we did in our last meeting. No
controversy about that.
“By now the process of issuing warrant of arrest has reached
a final stage, but they have respected themselves, they have come and we are
giving three weeks for them to prepare their defence and when they are going to
present their defence, it’s to be during the public hearing”, he said.
Recalled that the Chairman of NDDC palliative Committee,
Sobomabo Jackrich had petitioned the National Assembly, claiming that the sum
of N6.25 billion palliative fund was embezzled by the now disbanded Daniel
Pondei-led Interim Management Committee.
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