Property Auctioning: Reps To Summon Water Resources Ministry

The House of Representatives has resolved to invite the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to defend the alleged illegal auctioning of the assets of the 12 River Basin Authorities between 2010 and 2022.

The House through the Ad-Committe, Investigating the Disposal of Public Property took this decision at its resumed sitting Monday.

This was sequel to the revelation that the assets of River Basin Authorities were auctioned by the ministry as there were no governing boards in place.

The managing director of Lower Niger Basin Development Authority Ilorin, Dr Adeniyi Aremu told the committee that he and his other colleagues were appointed in 2018.

According to Aremu, the auction process began in 2017 and hence, there were no boards in place, it was carried by the ministry of Water Resources.

He said the agency submitted the documents it has on auctioning to the committee but the entire details  are with the ministry which superintendent process.

Consequently, chairman of the committee and house leader, Prof. Julius Ihonbvere said the panel will invite the ministry to deal with it directly as the lawmakers were dissatisfied with the explanation.

“I want to assure you for now that we are not very satisfied and that is because you did not preside over this process. We are not satisfied with the disconnect in the contents in some of the documents.

“We will require that you come back after we deduce some of those documents directly from the ministry on behalf of your agencies. We will also invite the ministry to deal with us directly,” Ihonvbere said.

Speaking further, the chairman said as the representatives of the Nigerian people, the committee will deploy all constitutional means to ensure that it achieves the mandate of the House.