Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has been summoned to appear before the Senate on Thursday, July 21.
The Minister could not honour the invitation on Wednesday, a development the upper chamber was not happy with.
Adeosun was billed to address the Senate on the state of the nation’s economy and the implementation of the 2016 Appropriation Act.
Ali Ndume, made the announcement during plenary on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
He stated that the minister said she would not be appearing before the lawmakers as she was attending the Federal Executive Council meeting same day.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, was grilled for the same reason by the lawmakers for about two hours behind closed doors on Tuesday.
After Emefiele’s appearance, Ndume had moved the motion to invite Adeosun on another date.
However, Senate President Bukola Saraki said Adeosun still had the opportunity to appear before the close of plenary later on Wednesday or Thursday unfailingly.
“Unfailingly, she must be here later today (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday). The issues she must address are important for Nigerians to understand. The CBN governor was here and did the same thing yesterday (Tuesday),” he said.
Asked whether his boss would honour the Senate invitation, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Festus Akanbi, confirmed that she would.
Akanbi said, “The minister actually rushed to the Senate immediately after the FEC meeting but unfortunately the plenary had been adjourned.
“She, however, met with the Senate leadership and pleaded with them to allow her come on Thursday (today) to brief the senators, on the state of the nation’s economy.”
Senators should also call on the Governors and ask them why they still owe staffs their salaries. Instead of going on numerous recess. They just resumed and they are planning on going off again.