Reps Summon BPP, Budget Office Over Alleged Evasion Of Power Sector Probe

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the power sector reforms and spending between 2007 and 2024 has summoned the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Budget Office of the Federation over what it described as repeated attempts to evade legislative oversight.

Other government agencies summoned include Accountant-General of the Federation, Ministries of Finance and Power, and Office of the Auditor General.

Chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Almustapha Aliyu, who issued the summons during a continued investigative hearing expressed frustration that several government institutions had repeatedly ignored official correspondence and failed to submit documents crucial to the probe.

Aliyu said the committee had written to the agencies multiple times since early November but received no acknowledgement or submission, despite the letters clearly outlining the documents required for the investigation.

According to him, the pattern of non-response was hindering efforts to establish how trillions of naira allocated to the power sector over 17 years were spent and why the investment had not translated into stable electricity for Nigerians.

Lawmakers at the hearing urged the chairman to grant the agencies a short extension while broadening the mode of communication to prevent any claims of ignorance.

They recommended that the committee publish its invitations in national newspapers as an added safeguard.

Aliyu agreed to the proposal and announced that fresh letters would be issued immediately.

He warned, however, that failure to appear after the final notice would compel the House to invoke Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, which empower the National Assembly to compel attendance and demand documents from any person or authority.

“This investigation cannot progress if critical agencies continue to evade oversight,” he said.

“The Nigerian people deserve clarity, and these institutions must come forward with their records.”

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji