The House of Representatives has invited Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele and Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Muhammad Nami over issues surrounding the payment of subsidy on petroleum products for in the last 10 years.
The House ad-hoc committee investigating oil subsidy payments between 2013 to 2022 gave the invitation following the failure of Emefiele and Nami to appear before it at the National Assembly, Abuja on Thursday.
The House Committee however turned back a Deputy Director with the CBN, Hussein Kagara, who came to represent the CBN Governor and the special assistant to the FIRS Chairman Gabriel Ogunjemiluri.
A member of the committee, Rep Mark Gbillah, who moved a motion to invite the two government functionaries, said the absence of Emefiele and Nami showed they are less concerned about a serious national issue like fuel subsidy which is costing the country a whooping N6.7 trillion in one year.
Another member of the committee, Abdul Ganiyu-Olododo (APC, Kwara), wondered why the FIRS Chairman can send his personal staff to appear before the parliament on such a critical national issue and the CBN Governor will be represented by someone who is not yet a director, describing it was an insult to Nigerians whom the lawmakers represent.
Addressing the lawmakers, Kagara who represented the CBN Governor, said he can only answer questions relating to technical issues of subsidy payments, when Ibrahim Aliyu sought his competence on the subject matter of the probe.
He also said the CBN cannot print the documents requested by the committee because they were too voluminous, adding that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has 200 accounts domiciled with the apex bank and they are being asked for.
“If all the questions that you are going to ask are related to technical matters that concern subsidy payments, I will be able to provide answers here but if they are outside the technical aspects of the subsidy transaction then I will not be able to respond.
“With respect to the issue of documents, the truth of the matter is that some of these documents are actually voluminous and we can’t be able to print must of these documents.
“For example, in one of your requests, you asked us to produce all the accounts of NNPC that are domicile with the CBN, NNPC are close to 200 accounts with CBN and they are voluminous,” the CBN deputy director said.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Ibrahim Aliyu said: “There are areas that you cannot answer, you see this is the fundamental reason why the senior members of the management are supposed to appear before the committee.
“We are left with no alternative than follow the procedure of the House. Where you cannot provide hardcopies (requested documents) provide soft copies. We will expect you on the 18th of August…the motion passed, the FIRS chairman is to appear before this committee on 18th of August, 2022.”
