The National Assembly has threatened to invoke the provisions of the law against the Ministers of State, Henieken Lokpobiri and Ekperikpe Ekpo over their continued absence to defend their 2024 budget estimates.
The joint Committee of the House and Senate on Petroleum Upstream and Gas turned back the Permanent Secretary and insists on the Ministers’ appearance on Monday.
The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri and his counterpart for Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, are both former members of the National Assembly.
The joint committee is unhappy that after two invitations, the two Ministers failed to appear for budget defence.
The legislators declined to take the Permanent Secretary in their stead and gave the Ministers up to next Monday to appear before them.
In another Conference room, the House Committee on Bureau of Public Procurement adopted the N2.2 billion budget proposal for the agency in the next fiscal year.
The Committee tasked the Bureau to hold MDAs to account for transparent procurement processes.
It promised to pass the ongoing amendment to the 2007 Act establishing the Agency.
Lawmakers have given a commitment to reposition the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, as they discharge their oversight functions.
The Chairman, House Committee on NASENI, Taofik Ajilesoro, made the pledge at its inaugural meeting.
The Committee says the task of engendering a practical implementation of the national science technology policy in the country and within the comity of nations requires a thorough, intense and persistent legislative catalyst and monitoring.
