Kemi Adeosun mandated to face panel within 24 hrs

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement, yesterday, gave Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, a 24-hour notice to appear before it over alleged abuse and breach of the Procurement Act, 2007.The summon followed a resolution taken at the commencement of a two-day investigative hearing into allegations of abuse, breach and violation of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 in the engagement of contractors for the pre-shipment inspection and monitoring of crude oil and gas export from Nigeria. She is expected to appear before the committee at 10 a.m. today.The committee was said to have also walked out Finance Ministry officials, saying that they lacked competence to speak on the matter. The officials were led by the Legal Director, Mr Gabriel Christopher.The Committee on Public Procurement, chaired by Wole Oke (PDP, Osun), is investigating allegations of abuse, breach, and violations of Public Procurement Act 2007 in the engagements of contractors for pre-shipment, inspection, and monitoring of crude oil and gas export from Nigeria.Members of the committee expressed concerns over the disregard for due process, and consequently informed the new BPP Director-General, Mamman Ahmad, that any officer of the BPP convicted for breaching the procurement law shall be liable to five years imprisonment, without option of fine. Upon conviction, such a person shall face outright dismissal from public service.The committee, in a letter dated March 8, 2017 invited the minister to furnish the committee with relevant documents as well as appear for questioning on the subject matter.While responding to inquiries from the lawmakers, Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, who admitted that the entire procurement process was flawed, however, noted that the process should have been cancelled but for time exigencies. He queried the rationale behind the petitions sent to the Presidency by the aggrieved parties, but noted that the bureau had addressed various issues in the memo sent from the Presidency.“Mr President directed the petitions to you. I have your memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, I also have the letter from the Acting President to you, that shows that there are issues,” a disturbed Oke saidGabriel Onyenwife of APGA, who read the riot act to the BPP Director-General, noted that the Legislative and Privilege Acts provide that anyone who gives misleading information to the Parliament on conviction, risks two years jail term.The BPP was also chided for awarding three lots to three companies owned by an individual and for failing to ensure that the companies complied with extant laws, tax remittance to Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, PENCOM, ITF and other statutory agencies.The officials of the DPR were walked out when they claimed they had no submission to present its submission to present and they were just there to be a part of the hearing. As a result, they were asked to leave the venue and come back today with their principals and with detailed submission that must be presented.