The House has passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Mines and Steel, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the State Minister Mr Bawa Bwari after an anticipated sectorial debate scheduled for steel sector development in Nigeria on Thursday, 1st March 2018 was stalled, as they were conspicuously absent. Although both were invited to the debate on 16th February, 2018 according to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara (APC:Bauchi), a letter signed by the Ministry’s Permanent secretary stating that its officials would be unable to attend the event.
The Speaker said that the reasons given in the letter sent by the permanent secretary that the Minister of Mines and Steel and State Minister were both slated for “official engagements on the day of the debate”. However, the Ministers commended the House’s initiative for sectorial debates “as strong legislative interventions in efforts to revive the sector. It also stated that the said Ministry was eager and willing to work together with the House.” However, Hon. Dogara expressed disappointment over their absence after he revealed that a second letter had been written to the Ministry insisting on the importance of their presence at the debate. He also said their boycott as lending credence to allegations that some top officials of the Ministry were planning on making concession on the Ajaokuta steel company.
Speaking on the matter Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC: Lagos) stated that the Minister refusal to attend the sectorial debate was an act of contempt on the House. He also faulted the Minister for not having the courtesy to reply the letter having asked its permanent secretary to do so two weeks later. Hon. Gbajabiamila was also of the view that the debate would have also provided a platform for fair hearing against allegations made that the said Ministers were making moves to concession the steel company. He also called on lawmakers to move the matter from sectorial debates to a powerful investigative hearing.
Contributing to the motion, Chief Whip of the House Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (APC: Kano) condemned the actions of the Minister, saying its timing was wrong as the country is looking for means to tackle poverty and diversify the economy and that the subject matter of the debate was of national concern. He also accused the said Ministers of undermining the institution of the House of Representatives and described their absence as meaning “something suspicious and that it was insensitive to the plight of the people”. The Minority Whip, Umar Barde(PDP: Kaduna) also supported this view by stressing that their absence undermined the institution of the legislature. Hon. Mohammed Bago (APC: Niger) also attributed their action as an “unnecessary romance with the Executive and asked that they invoke all instruments of legislation to bring them to order.”
The lawmakers constituted an ad-hoc committee to probe the steel company and allegations of the ministry plans for concession before passing a vote of no confidence on Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Abubakar Bwari
