Against the background of worsening insecurity in Nigeria and daily loss of lives and property, the House of Representatives on Monday invited the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Attahiru Ibrahim to appear before it on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, and explain issues surrounding arms purchase by the Nigerian Army.
The House also summoned the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to appear the same day to give an account of funds released for the purchase of military hardware.
Moving a motion which was unanimously adopted, a member of the committee, Bede Eke (PDP-IMO), said the summon became necessary following the refusal of public officers to honour several earlier invitations extended to them by the committee.
Eke said the “CBN has been a problem to this House and they cannot operate the way they are operating and expect this House to keep quiet because we approve their budget. What are we asking for? Come and tell us how much we have paid for the purchase of arms; we have given you the right to a fair hearing. Are you hiding something? We will not allow it, if there is something you are hiding because you are CBN, we will not allow it. People are being killed every day.
I am moving the motion because we do not have time; we come here every day, sit for hours and wait for a government agency. I move that we summon especially the COAS and CBN. Enough is enough, let them be summoned, that is when they will know we are serious,” he said.
Addressing journalists after the meeting of the committee, the lawmaker threatened that the House would take further action against both the COAS and the CBN governor if they fail to appear on the next appointed day.
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He said: “The ad-hoc committee is set up to look into purchase and control of arms. We are all aware that there are killings everywhere in this country. Governments are even forced to go into a negotiation with bandits and we have said come and address us, come and tell us how much had been spent – tax payers’ money.
“We represent Nigerians who paid these taxes and we have said come and tell us, let us know what has happened. Trillions of naira budgeted, approved by this National Assembly, and of course, you heard as of last week, conflicting reports from the security. These are the things we want to look into. We don’t want to sit down here and take a position”.
Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Olaide Akinremi (APC-OYO) said the panel had expected the ministries of finance, defence, interior, CBN, COAS, and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to appear.
Akinremi said the ministry of defence had earlier written to the committee to seek a later date to appear and it was granted but the other invitees could not turn up, keeping the lawmakers waiting for three hours.
According to him, the House has already passed a resolution in accordance with the COVID-19 protocols that “We should not stay more than three hours in committee meetings and we cannot continue to sit here and wait.”
