The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Olayemi Cardoso over alleged lackadaisical attitude to the implementation of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reform agenda.

The committee chaired by Mr Bamidele Salam gave the Governor of the apex Bank to appear before the committee within 72 hours or face the consequences as provided by the Nigeria Constitution.

The lawmaker chided the Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso over for not living to expectations on transparency and accountability as required by extant provision of the law.

The lawmakers frowned at the CBN Governor inability to appear before the committee notwithstanding that he was represented by the Assistant Director, Ogbulu Inwan Peter during the committee proceedings yesterday (Tuesday).

Lawmakers expressed their concerns over the CBN governor’s attitude to the invitation of the parliament on several occasions.

Salam emphasized the importance of the CBN’s accountability to the legislative body and the Nigerian people.

According to him, “Honorable colleague let me just make a few comments before we rule on this matter. I feel somehow alarmed at the kind of vibes we get from the Central Bank Of Nigeria and especially the Governor of the bank, Mr Olayemi Cardoso.

“I have reasons to doubt whether the CBN governor is interested in the success of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration, I have serious doubt as to whether he is actually interested in reinventing Nigeria and bringing Nigeria out of the woods economically, and financially.

“I have tremendous respect for him as a person but his conduct since assuming this office has left much to be desired. Honorable Colleagues in this same committee room we have written letters several times and I am not talking about 5, 6, 7, 8,9 times to the Central Bank of Nigeria concerning one matter or another asking for a document to help us in unraveling issues that have to do with finances and the Apex Bank of Nigeria, the one that has the custody of those documents has repeated failed to submit those document or submit the document in a manner that the document will be very worthless in fact this particular one which has to do with Remita and Revenue leakages.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria which is the body that entered into this agreement with Remita refused on three occasions to provide us with the document of contract, document of engagement, and the record of remittances through Remittance into TSA on three occasions.

“The CBN Governor is here today to share light on why Nigeria continues to lose trillions of Naira in revenue that should come in, to help the government to be able to deliver services and he could find no time to come, and he couldn’t get any of his deputy governor to come, and couldn’t even get a director to come, he couldn’t even have the courtesy of written a letter to nominate the person that he as sent here.

“If you treat your own parliament this way, I wonder how he will treat other organizations and that is why the rating of the country continues to depreciate when major agencies of international agencies rate the country.

“This act coming from the CBN governor is disappointing and unfortunate, and I don’t want him to push us to the fences where we have to wield the big stick of the law because we are not here on our own, we are here, by virtues of Nigeria’s constitution and all enabling powers by the rules of the house.

“After inviting anyone three times or 4 times, we have the power to order that the person be arrested and produced before this committee and I don’t want him to push us to that because we also know that the CBN as an institution needs to be protected but he is not acting in that manner.”

Also, a Committee member, Hon. Olumide Osoba commented “Chairman, I think the Central Bank of Nigeria is taking parliament for granted, this is a constitution committee, and even the CBN Governor before he is confirmed comes to parliament to be confirmed, in this note chairman, I would like to move a motion that we excused the representative sent by the CBN Governor and give the CBN a last date to appear otherwise we use the instrument of the parliament if he does not appear on the same day.”