Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has been directed to appear before the House of Representatives within 24 hours to answer questions relating to an alleged breach in the engagement of contractors for the pre-shipment inspection and monitoring of crude oil and gas export.
A member of the House, Mr Babatunde Kolawole, called attention of his colleagues to an order given by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 to the Ministry of Finance to process engagement of pre-shipment inspectors through selective tendering approved by the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPE).
But Mr Kolawole alleged that in December 2015, after the selection of 65 companies to participate in the bidding stage, the Minister of Finance ordered the immediate cancellation of the tendering process on the grounds of lack of transparency, accountability and on the basis of a formal complaint from the BPP.
The lawmaker said there were allegations of abuses in the fresh tendering process and appealed to the House to investigate this.
After deliberations, the House Committee on Public Procurement directed the Minister to appear before it on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, to say her side of the story.
