...Summons Okonjo-Iweala, Oronsanye over procurement infractions

A House of Representatives panel yesterday summoned a former finance minister, Ngozo OkonjoIweala and a former head of service, Steve Orosanye over infractions in the procurement processes of preshipment contracts of Nigeria’s crude oil.

Also summoned is a former Accountant General of the Federation, Jonah Otunla and accounting officers of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The committee on public procurement, chaired by Wole Oke (PDP, Osun) also insisted that current finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, must appear before it alongside the former government officials on June 6.

Adeosun was billed to re-appear before the panel yesterday, but she delegated the permanent secretary in the ministry, Mahmud Isa Dutse, to represent her due to a scheduled meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

The committee’s invitation to the former officials followed a discovery that five ‘ghost firms’ benefited from the sum of N17 billion consultancy fees for the contract.

All the invited persons are to explain their roles in the payment of the amount to some preshipment inspectors and monitors of oil terminals between 2011 and 2017.

At the panel’s sitting yesterday, it uncovered additional infractions, saying there were serious discrepancies between the submissions of the finance ministry and that of the Central Bank of Nigeria.