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| PHOTO: Bloomberg |
Senate summons contractor over shoddy work on N22b Oyo-Ibadan road project
The Senate has condemned attempt by the Federal Government to reduce the $8.1 billion fine imposed on the communication giant, MTN, to $800 million.
The upper chamber said that the planned reduction of the fine is a matter of interest to it.
It noted that though it was not particularly against whatever the government would want to do with the MTN fine, it should be intimated on why the reduction became necessary.
The Senate also said that how the percentage of reduction from $8.1 billion to $800 million was arrived at is of interest to it.
The upper chamber said that it is equally interested in knowing what informed the penalty of $8.1 billion in the first instance.
The Central Bank of Nigeria had in a recent statement by its governor, Godwin Emefiele, hinted that it would reduce the amount ordered MTN Nigeria to repatriate.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, told reporters yesterday in Abuja that he was shocked when he was contacted that the CBN failed to implement Senate resolutions before conducting another investigation into the alleged infraction by MTN.
Ibrahim said that his committee would immediately ask for CBN report on the matter to be better informed.
He said that the only way Nigerians would know what transpired between the CBN and MTN on the $8.1 billion fine was through a detailed report.
In another development, the Senate Committee on Works has summoned the contractor that handled the Oyo-Ibadan road project to appear before it to explain the reason for the bad condition of the road after N22 billion had been expended on it.
Chairman of the committee, Kabiru Gaya, who led other members on a courtesy visit to Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his office, stated this after an inspection tour of road projects embarked on by the Federal Government in the South-West as part of its oversight function yesterday.
Gaya expressed dismay over the road project, saying that N22 billion had so far been expended for the reconstruction of the road but that the present state of the road, three years after its completion, did not justify government’s investment on the project.
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The Senate has condemned attempt by the Federal Government to reduce the $8.1 billion fine imposed on the communication giant, MTN, to $800 million.
The upper chamber said that the planned reduction of the fine is a matter of interest to it.
It noted that though it was not particularly against whatever the government would want to do with the MTN fine, it should be intimated on why the reduction became necessary.
The Senate also said that how the percentage of reduction from $8.1 billion to $800 million was arrived at is of interest to it.
The upper chamber said that it is equally interested in knowing what informed the penalty of $8.1 billion in the first instance.
The Central Bank of Nigeria had in a recent statement by its governor, Godwin Emefiele, hinted that it would reduce the amount ordered MTN Nigeria to repatriate.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, told reporters yesterday in Abuja that he was shocked when he was contacted that the CBN failed to implement Senate resolutions before conducting another investigation into the alleged infraction by MTN.
Ibrahim said that his committee would immediately ask for CBN report on the matter to be better informed.
He said that the only way Nigerians would know what transpired between the CBN and MTN on the $8.1 billion fine was through a detailed report.
In another development, the Senate Committee on Works has summoned the contractor that handled the Oyo-Ibadan road project to appear before it to explain the reason for the bad condition of the road after N22 billion had been expended on it.
Chairman of the committee, Kabiru Gaya, who led other members on a courtesy visit to Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his office, stated this after an inspection tour of road projects embarked on by the Federal Government in the South-West as part of its oversight function yesterday.
Gaya expressed dismay over the road project, saying that N22 billion had so far been expended for the reconstruction of the road but that the present state of the road, three years after its completion, did not justify government’s investment on the project.
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