Okonjo-Iweala must answer 50 questions on economy – House of Reps

The House of Representatives on Monday said the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, must answer the 50 questions asked by its committee on Finance during the presentation of the 2014 budget minister on December 19 last year.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, had insisted that the 2014 budget would not be considered until the minister answers the 50 questions asked at the forum.

The committee had given Okonjo -Iweala two weeks to submit a written response to the questions which bordered on the economy, but she has requested for more time to respond.

Speaking at a pre- resumption press briefing on Monday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, said the Committee on Finance was acting under the mandate given to it by the House and as such, the minister should answer the 50 questions as it would aid the House in the consideration of the budget.

He said, “The Finance Committee has a mandate of the House and the Committee must report back to the House what it was asked to do.

“It is the House in its wisdom that will devise the next line of action, the Finance Committee has done the assignment given to it by the House and will have to go back to the House to take a decision.

“Definitely on resumption, the Finance Committee would brief the House and thereafter we draw conclusions and inferences. We must consider the budget because it’s a money bill but we will not be blackmailed or bamboozled to just assume it’s a case of garbage in, garbage out. Anybody who thinks it is going to be like that is just joking because we are going to ensure a sense of fairness in its consideration to the benefit of Nigerians who are our employers.”