House C’ttee summons Perm Sec , accuses him of frustrating proceedings

By Tom Okpe

The House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development has summoned the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Temitope Fashedemi to appear before it, unfailingly or, use provision of the 1999 Constitution against him.

The Permanent Secretary is to appear before the Committee, to answer questions on activities of rural development section, of the Ministry.

Chairman of the Committee, Marcus Onubun, PDP-Edo State, who spoke during the Committee meeting at the National Assembly, Abuja on Friday, expressed displeasure that the Permanent Secretary has consistently, ignored the invitation from the Committee and has, on five occasions, failed to honour it.

The Committee members, frowned at the Permanent Secretary and the Ministry, accusing them of undermining the House and provisions of the Constitution, which empowers the House to oversight all agencies of Government.

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The Chairman, Onubun said the Committee has decided to give the Permanent Secretary another opportunity to appear before it as a mark of respect for the two Ministers in the Ministry who are products of the National Assembly.

Minister of Agriculture and food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari from Borno State, and the Minister of State, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi from Niger State, served in the 9th National Assembly.

“This is about the fifth meeting we have had in this Committee on Rural Development and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has refused to appear.

“I would like to correct one notion here, because the Director said he is not here to answer query. This Committee is constitutional, bound to query every of your activities, in terms of projects and policies of your Ministry. If you don’t know, you must understand now that it is our responsibility.

“Members seating here represents over 200 million Nigerians. We put all our activities aside to have on the spot assessment of the Ministry and we came to you because we wanted to work with you so that Nigerians will get the dividends of democracy through rural development.

“But, it appears that for some reasons best known to you, you have chosen to frustrate efforts of this Committee. We have the mandate of the House through the Speaker to carry out the exercise we are engaged.

“I will yeild to the request of my colleagues that since we have two Ministers who are products of this National Assembly, we may not use the big stick at this point. We will course another invitation, attentioning the Minister to release the Permanent Secretary to appear on our next scheduled date.

“If the Permanent Secretary likes, he should chose to ignore that invitation, then, we will know who is dancing behind who, at the end of the day. The Permanent Secretary should appear before this Committee on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.”

Earlier, a member of the Committee, Rep Chinedu Ogah, APC-Ebonyi recalled how members abandoned their work to visit the Ministry, pointing that, on that day, the permanent secretary was not there.

“You know we are elected by the people and we speak for the people. Within your conscience, what your agency is doing part of the law, or out of the law, when you know we are empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to oversight this agency, or you are neglecting the House,” he queried.

The Lawmakers, became furious, when a Director in the Ministry, Engr Frank Satumari Kudla, who represented the Permanent Secretary, claimed that he was not in attendance at the meeting to answer queries, but on the instruction of the Permanent Secretary, so that it does not appear like they were snubbing the Committee.

Engr Kudla told the Committee that the Permanent Secretary was attending an official function at a place he did not disclose to members.

“I am telling you on my own honour, this is what happened. Actually, if the Permanent Secretary could have been here, he is in the best position to answer questions on behalf of the Ministry,” he said.

The Director said he was not in the best position to answer questions, saying, “our coming is not to query the position. You are calling the P/S because the last time I was here, we discussed this. He is not deliberately, staying away.”