The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has issued a warrant for the arrest of Central Bank Governor, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein, and 17 others. This action comes as a result of their refusal to appear before the committee to answer questions on their operations.
The warrant was issued following the adoption of a motion by Rep Fred Agbedi (PDP-Bayelsa) during the committee’s hearing on Tuesday. Agbedi emphasized that the arrest warrant had become necessary due to the persistent non-compliance of the invitees. He noted that despite being invited four times, the CEOs failed to respond.
Agbedi proposed that the Inspector General of Police execute the warrant of arrest after due diligence by the Speaker, Rep Tajudeen Abbas. The committee’s Chairman, Rep Micheal Irom (APC-Cross River), ruled that the IG should ensure the CEOs appear before the committee on December 14.
The petitioner, Mr Fidelis Uzowanem, based the petition on the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) report of 2021. Uzowanem highlighted that the report exposed fraudulent activities in the oil and gas industry dating back to 2016. The petitioner suggested that the recoverable amount identified in the NEITI report could confidently fund the proposed 2024 budget of 27.5 trillion. The alleged concealment of illegal transactions involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and certain oil companies was also brought to the committee’s attention. The companies in question were reportedly paid for crude oil production, even though they did not produce crude.
