The minister has continued to shun invitations by committees from both the Senate and House of Representatives who were mandated at different times, by resolutions adopted at plenary sessions in both Chambers, to investigate her alleged involvement in alleged unauthorised spending of state resources on profligacy.
When the news broke that the minister spent over N10 billion from 2011 till date on the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), paying for chartered flights for both local and foreign trips, both Chambers of the National Assembly empowered relevant committees to conduct probes into the allegations.
The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), tasked with the job by the Senate, had through a memo dated April 4th to the minister and the NNPC, requested, among other things, details of all expenditure on aircraft lease agreements.
The committee also demanded that the NNPC should furnish it with details of funds expended on aircraft purchases, hiring and maintenance in the last two years, as well as the contract paper in respect of leases or purchase of Aircraft.
The minister and the NNPC have not responded to the request.
Also, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives, mandated by the lower chamber to investigate the matter, wrote to the minister and the NNPC, but has also been shunned by the duo.
The committee, in its several letters to the minister and the NNPC management, demanded for certain documents which the committee felt will enable it do its work well.
The PAC has been forced on three occasions to call off scheduled meetings where the minister and the NNPC management were expected to make appearances, to give evidence on the subject matter.
A competent source at the National Assembly told Sunday Independent in confidence that an agreement has been reached by the leadership of both Chambers that the committees should do their work with or without response from the minister and the NNPC management.
It was gathered that a decision was also taken that, in the event Diezani refuses to show up before the committees complete their works, conclusions should be drawn and recommendations made based on available facts before the committees.
However, competent sources in both Chambers told Sunday Independent that documents in the custody of both committees showed that the minister actually engaged in the extravagant life style she was accused of.
At the end of the investigation, recommendation is to be made to the President that the minister be sacked, with anti-corruption agencies asked to investigate her and prosecute her also.
However, following the near “goddess” status of the minister in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Presidency might not adhere to any of the recommendations, which might spark another round of face-off between the National Assembly and the Presidency.
Setting the stage for the drama, the PAC has fixed April 28 for the commencement of the probe of the whole transactions.
It will be recalled that the Committee had on March 26th sent queries to the minister, the NNPC and the operators of the chartered private jets to furnish it within one week in written form the details of the transaction to enable it carry out its assignments.
As the invitees refused to heed the directives of the committee, and having reported the matter to the leadership of the parliament, the decision was taken after a meeting of all members of the committee that a public hearing on the issue be commenced on April 28 in line with the House’s resolution.
A member of the committee who spoke with Sunday Independent denied any plan to work towards a pre-determined outcome, saying however that the committee would not hesitate to pronounce the minister and her team guilty in the event of her sustained refusal to turn up and defend herself against the allegations.
The legislator, who opted to speak in confidence, said the whole matter was becoming an embarrassment to the National assembly as an arm of government saddled with the task of checking the excesses of the executive arm government.
“We have scheduled a public hearing on the matter for the 28th of April. I believe the committee will do all that is within our power as contained in the legislative right and privileged Acts to ensure justice”.
“Don’t forget we all, as elected or appointed officials of government, are not above the law, so we will go all out within the laid down law to carry out our assignment as directed by the House,” the source said.
He accused the minister of trying to bury the main issue, while whipping unnecessary sentiments against the committee.
“Why the image laundering all over the place? Why do you need to sponsor demonstration to stop the National Assembly from doing its statutory duties if you have nothing to hide? Everybody knows that the NNPC headquarters in Abuja is a security zone being manned mainly by Military men, so how did the pro-Diezani protesters gain entrance into the place abusing National Assembly members for daring to probe her? It is a shameful act that a minister under this administration can be funding all these without being checked.”
Source: Daily Independent
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