When the House of Representatives went into a shouting match on Wednesday, it wasn’t because lawmakers were expressing anger over the non-remittance of more than ₦16 trillion, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), but what sent voices flying, fingers pointing was simply about who and who should be part of the
This has become a pattern in the lower chamber. Each time an investigation comes up, Lawmakers don’t just argue about the issue at stake; they argue, sometimes fiercely, about which committee should take ownership of it, and who should be part of it. And ownership matters, because committee probes come with influence, and, as some past reports and even Lawmakers have alleged, opportunities to pressure ministries and agencies for kickbacks.
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Last Wednesday, Bamidele Salam, chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), had barely finished presenting his motion accusing the CBN of withholding trillions, when the chamber split over who should lead the inquiry. Salam wanted his committee to run the investigation alone.
But Ghali Tijani proposed an amendment: set up a new ad-hoc committee made up of PAC members and lawmakers from other finance-related committees. His reason was that the probe was too significant for only one committee, an argument other Lawmakers thought was reasonable.
investigation into the matter.