14th October, 2019
The ad hoc committee set up by the House of Representatives to investigate abandoned projects by the Niger Delta Development Commission has failed to present its report as demanded.
Only one of the two committees asked to submit their reports by October 4, 2019, had complied.
While the House ad hoc committee to determine why the Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar and Onitsha Ports complexes are not being put to maximal use, had its report laid by the chairman, Buba Yakub, on Thursday – six days after the deadline, the panel on NDDC’s abandoned projects has yet to present its report.
Gbajabiamila had in his opening address on September 17, 2019, asked “all ad hoc committees to wind up and handover to standing committees by September 30th.”
The House had later on September 26, 2019, extended the deadline given to all the ad hoc committees set up to carry out various investigations and interventions to submit their reports by two weeks.
The chairman of the NDDC projects probe committee, Mr Nicholas Ossai, who was contacted on the telephone on Sunday, said the panel report was still being worked on.
“I am trying to organise my report,” he said.
When asked if he was aware that the deadline for submission had since expired, Ossai said, “We must submit the report. The activities of the House are not known to the public when it gets to that level. The deadline was the day we officially stopped inviting any persons (for appearance before the committee). We will submit our report when it is ready. We are trying to put our report together.”
When further probed if the report would be laid this week, the lawmaker said, “That I can’t tell you because there are certain materials they asked me to give to the committee to print out. So, we are trying to organise that,” he said.
Meanwhile, based on the last resolution of the House, other investigative panels are to present their reports on Monday (today) as the deadline will expire finally on Tuesday, being the first plenary after the deadline.