Deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has described the Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, as “incompetent”.
Agbese spoke on Tuesday during a hearing of the house committee on land transport, investigating a recent train derailment.
Recall that a train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna, on August 26 veered off the track between Kubwa and Asham station, with several coaches tumbling. Several passengers sustained injuries, but no fatality was recorded.
The committee subsequently invited Alkali to appear on Tuesday (today) to answer questions on the incident, but he failed to show up.
During the panel’s meeting, Agbese accused the minister of incompetence, saying his conduct amounted to a disregard for the lawmakers.
“This action clearly shows he is not competent to handle the job entrusted to him by the president. It is a dangerous signal that he does not care about the lives of Nigerians or the reputation of this government,” he said.
“The president has warned that no minister or agency head should ignore parliament. This minister has chosen contempt. If he fails to show up, Nigerians should know there is effectively no minister of transportation in this country.”
Cyril Hart, lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny federal constituency of Rivers, said the parliament won’t “allow anyone to toy with the lives of our people”.
“Over 618 Nigerians could have died. This raises serious questions about the integrity of our rail infrastructure. For a former lawmaker to shun this committee when Nigerians need answers is a betrayal,” he said.
Blessing Onuh, chairperson of the committee, said the minister’s action is unacceptable and would not be condoned.
“A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. We are on recess, but many of us cut our break and came all the way from Lagos because of this national tragedy, only for the minister to snub the parliament,” she said.
“We take strong exception to this. Our brothers and sisters were endangered. This is not a joke.”
The committee thereafter gave the minister 48 hours to honour its invitation.