Reps to probe BPE over sale of power assets, invite Fashola, heads of NERC, TCN

• Threaten arrest warrant on Malami over invasion of judges’ residence

The House of Representatives yesterday resolved to investigate the alleged neglect of due process by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) during the sale of the country’s power assets amounting to $94.4 million.

According to Ahmed Idris, the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fraudulent and Non-Transparent Sale of Power Assets by the BPE has been mandated to conduct the probe.

Idris, who is the chairman of the committee, said that the probe would involve the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, heads of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), bidders for the assets, consultants, lawyers and distribution and generation companies in the country.

He added that all stakeholders involved in the sales would also be invited by the committee to state their roles.

He said the BPE, which has the mandate to protect government assets and employ transparency in its process, acted otherwise.

“The BPE encouraged the deferment of payments and restructuring of payment terms in contravention of bidding rules, to the disadvantage of other bidders,” he stated.

The lawmakers also yesterday sought a review of the Abuja master plan and an end to the demolitions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Debating a matter of urgent public importance brought to members by Nnenna Elendu Ukeje, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abia, members said the failure by the authorities to revise the plan 17 years after the current one was reviewed, was the cause of the rowdiness and high crime rate in the territory.

They said it was now common to see people erecting makeshift cabins for residence and business purposes in illegal places, thereby posing security threat to other residents.

They urged the FCT Minister, Mallam Mohammed Bello to direct the Department of Development Control to monitor the erection of structures and stop any further plan to demolish small and medium business outfits in the FCT.

Also, the House yesterday threatened to issue a warrant of arrest against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami for failing to explain his role in the invasion of the residence of some judges in the country.

The Garba Datti-led ad-hoc committee probing the issue said it has no option but to invoke such powers if the AGF again fails to appear before the committee on Tuesday, November 29, 2016.

Datti disclosed that the AGF is yet to send either a memorandum nor appear in person to give clarifications on the roles played by his office in the arrest of some Federal High Court judges by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).