Kogi Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Idris Asiru
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Commissioner for Finance in Alhaji Yahaya Bello administration, Asiwaju Idris Asiru has been threatened for severally declining investigation by Kogi State House of Assembly to explain issues of financial transactions which reflected in the State Auditor General’s report.
The State Auditor General’s Financial report has triggered investigation by the Special Public Accounts Committee led by Hon. Hilary Collins Musa representing Omala State Constituency in the State House of Assembly.
The amount being probed by the Committee runs into billions of naira which the Committee desires explanation from the Commissioner.
The Commissioner has been serially evasive to make himself available, while the Assembly threatened that should he not appear for interrogation on Thursday next week, they would invoke a warrant of arrest.
The House adopted the position of a motion by the Chairman House Special Committee on Public Account, who explained frustration his Committee was experiencing and urged members to compel the Commissioner to appear before the House.
Citing relevant rules of the House, the lawmaker pointed out warrant of arrest as the option for a recalcitrant member of the executive which he insisted should be issued on him, if he fails to turn up.
“The Committee had invited the Commissioner, the invitation duly served, but refused without a word to the Committee to appear before the Committee.
“In return, he invited the Committee to a meeting at the Revenue House and, thereon, the Committee made demands of specific evidences pursuant to its consideration of the Report by the State Auditor General on the accounts of the State.”
“The Rt. Hon. Speaker and distinguished Hon Colleagues, it is now over 6 months, the Commissioner has neither replied nor availed the Committee with the evidences required for further consideration of the Report by the State Auditor General.
“I, therefore, move that the Hon. Commissioner, by the powers confers on this State House of Assembly, be compelled firstly by the Resolution of this House to appear before the Committee and secondly upon his failure to act accordingly, be compelled through the issuance of warrant of arrest in line with Section 129 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended to appear accordingly”.
In a unanimous support by the lawmakers, the commissioner’s decision not to honour the invitation of the committee is an affront to the House.
The speaker, Prince Matthew Kolawole in his ruling said the house has the right in accordance with the law to invite anyone and as such the Commissioner is not exempted from those the House can not invite.
Kolawole however directed the Clerk to communicate the Commissioner to appear before the House in its next legislative sitting.
