Politics
THE minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has responded to issues raised by the member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, in a motion on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, describing it as an abuse of parliamentary process.
A statement by the deputy director, press and public relations in the ministry, Charles Akpan, says the final product of a national budget is the making of the National Assembly and therefore leaves the Minister in no position whatsoever for budget padding.
“It is instructive here to note that ministers do not award contracts and neither sit in the Ministerial Tenders board nor Tenders Board of parastatals. Clearly, even the ministry of labour’s representatives on the NSITF mainboard are not part of the tenders board of that parastatal. So, how, when, and where did the minister sit in that board to choose, much less pad the budget?
“It is therefore easy to attribute Faleke’s motion on the floor of the House Tuesday to consummate parliamentary mischief or outright ignorance of the Bureau of Public Procurement Act or both.”
The statement added that if the member was “desperately clutching a straw on behalf of his constituents, he must definitely grow bigger than his infantile approach”.
“Besides, bringing in the name of the wife of the minister who’s carrying out her job as the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare in the Office of the Head Of Service of the Federation into a matter that does not affect her, trying to impugn her integrity on a function she carried out on behalf of her boss, the Head of Service of the Federation is legislative impunity too far.”
“The Hon. Minister can bear the brunt of mud splashing on him as a politician, former Senator and governor, but not an innocent woman, a civil servant discharging the functions of her office even as the minister did not sight any such letter in reference,” the statement said.
– Jul. 8, 2020 @ 11:12 GMT |
Tags: Ngige to Faleke; Learn not to abuse parliamentary process
