The House of Representatives Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, has expressed displeasure with the chairmen of the FCT area councils for repeatedly snubbing its summons, saying the action was tantamount to avoiding accountability
The committee was billed to have a session with them alongside the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmud, Tuesday, but none of them were in attendance.
While the councils chairmen in a joint letter that got to the committee barely an hour to 1pm, which was fixed for the meeting, appealed for a shift in the meeting date, citing a clash with commissioning of some unnamed projects by the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, the committee said it had no communication from Mahmud.Angered by the development, chairman of the committee, Frederick Agbedi, said the panel “expresses its disappointment and concern over the refusal of the FCT area councils chairmen to honour its invitations to appear before the committee despite several invitations to that effect.”
Citing relevant sections of the Nigerian constitution as they relate to its powers, the lawmaker said, “this committee has the statutory mandate to ensure that the area councils are operating in accordance with the law, and that the welfare of residents in the FCT is being adequately addressed and it is in line with this mandate, that several invitations have been sent out to the six area council chairmen.
“Despite the importance of this engagement, the area council chairmen have declined to participate, citing untenable reasons. The chairmen’s conduct in this regard implies that they are not willing to account for their stewardship and the logical inference is that, they are avoiding accountability.”