By Ayo Kehinde
Fayemi and Adeosun
The House of Representatives has passed a vote of no confidence in two ministers who failed to honour invitation. They are the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi and the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
The lawmakers took the decision against Fayemi on Thursday in Abuja after the minister failed to attend a debate on steel development in Nigeria.
Also Adeosun also got a no confidence vote because she was also absent at the gathering.
The failure of the two ministers sparked an outrage on the part of members of the Lower Chamber who resolved to set up an investigative committee to probe the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara had on Wednesday accused the duo and Minister of State, for Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bwari Bwari, of colluding to concession Ajaodkuta Steel Company at give away price to interest parties.
Fayemi and Bwari had however written to the lawmakers to say they would be away on official assignments, Bwari to lead a ministry’s delegation to Canada to attend a conference, while Fayemi would be engaged with an ERPG assignment.
But the Speaker wrote back to ask that at least one of the Ministers among the trio attend the summons “to debunk the widespread allegation that the proposed concessionaires have tied the hands of the ministry. We are worried that the apparent boycott of the session by your ministry can only lend credence to the allegations that the top echelon of your ministry are deeply conflicted in the matter”.
