House of Reps panel threatens arrest warrant against Dangote

A committee of the House of Representatives investigating the hike in the price of cement has threatened to issue warrants of arrest against the management of Dangote Cement.

The House of Representatives committee said Dangote Cement refused to honour its invitation.

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The House Committee on Solid Minerals, chaired by Jonathan Gaza (SDP, Nasarawa), issued the threat on Tuesday during a hearing at the National Assembly Complex after the management of the company failed to show up.

The Nigerian constitution in section 89 empowers the National Assembly to issue a warrant of arrest to compel appearance for the purpose of investigation.

Gaza said the committee would give the management of the company another opportunity to honour its invitation before taking the drastic step.

“On Dangote, my ruling is simple. The laws have given us the necessary powers, but we owe you a duty of care. We are going to give you one more chance. We are going to communicate a date,” Gaza said.

“Failure to comply with that date, a subpoena will be issued. A warrant of arrest will be given for you to make an appearance before the National Assembly. No single individual is bigger than the parliament of his country. No single Nigerian is bigger than the National Assembly.”

In February, the House of Representatives yesterday called on the federal government to urgently take steps to tackle the rising cost of living with devastating effects on Nigerians.

The lawmakers made the call during the appearance of the Ministers of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso and the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, before the House.

The session was part of the second edition of the Sectoral Debate/Dialogue, which was introduced by the House to interact with heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on government policies.

The lawmakers demanded an explanation of the measures being taken by the CBN, FIRS and the ministries as regards the current economic situation in the country.

A lawmaker Ahmed Jaha Babawo (APC, Borno) said nobody needed a soothsayer to conclude that Nigerians were hungry and angry.

He said the government must take action, especially in terms of security, to make things work better for Nigerians.

According to him, from 2020 to date, the prices of staple food and other items have risen by over 500%, placing Nigerians in a precarious situation.

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