From FRED ITUA, Abuja
The House of Representatives has threatened to pass a ‘vote of no confidence’ on the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, over her alleged refusal to appear before the House to explain certain issues on how she handles the economy.
Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Abdulmumin Jibrin, who gave this indication, also blamed the spiralling debt profile of the country on Okonjo-Iweala.
“If Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s response is not worthy, we (the House) will pass a ‘vote of no confidence’on her. To pass a ‘vote of no confidence’ on a minister calls for a sober reflection on whoever that vote is passed on,” he threatened.
“Debts keep increasing because we keep posting huge deficits. When you balance deficit, you will not need to borrow money. That is why over time, the amount escalated,” Jubrin explained.
Jubrin also alleged in his interview monitored on Saraha Reporters TV at the weekend that the Federal Government currently spends N700 billion to service local debts.
“Okonjo-Iweala has embarked on massive domestic borrowing such that Nigeria services local debts with N700 billion,” he alleged.
The Kano State-born lawmaker who recently defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside 36 members of the House, said the minister’s know-it-all disposition has become a source of worry for him.
According to him, “nobody can claim monopoly over knowledge. Okonjo-Iweala’s know-it-all disposition is what I do not agree with. When we talk about what our people need, we need to be serious.
“I agree, the Minister of Finance comes with this messianic image. That is why people don’t take their time to go deep and investigate whatever she says. For Okonjo-Iweala, we have gotten to the point where we all have to face reality and do the right thing for this country”, he noted.
Jubrin said some ministers always throw their weight around whenever they are invited to appear before the House.
He said, “some ministers, like Okonjo-Iweala, do not want to appear before the parliament. For the past three years, I have asked Okonjo-Iweala to provide documents on how our money is being spent. She is concealing so much about the economy, I am worried.
The lawmaker also faulted the refusal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central of Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) refusal to submit their budgets to the National Assembly for approval.
“The NNPC and Central Bank, their budgets usually do not go through regular appropriation. It is important that we capture the total as part of our expenditure. That money belongs to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Sometimes you can’t blame the President. He relies on information given to him by ministers,” he said.
The Sun