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The House of Representatives has resolved to probe Amina Shamaki, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology over alleged legislative contempt.
Shamaki was accused of restraining the House Committee on Science and Technology from performing its statutory function during a recent public hearing.
In her lead debate, Beni Lar, chairman House Committee on Science and Technology, also accused the permanent secretary of ordered some officials of the agencies and parastatals who were in attendance to leave the hearing or get queried.
According to her, the public hearing was on some bills seeking to give legal backing to some federal agencies that don’t have laws establishing them.
Lar said: “On May 31, when the committee on science and technology was holding a public hearing, we noticed some strange movements; the permanent ministry was walking along the corridor and later came in and sat down.
“I directed someone to tell her to come forward and sit at the front but the message I got in response was that she said she won’t come forward.
“Not long after, we learnt she summoned the director-generals from the ministry that came for the hearing outside and ordered them to leave. And that they were given letters and forced to sign that if they attended the hearing again, they will be queried.”
While stressing that the permanent secretary committed ‘legislative contempt of highest order’, the Plateau state lawmaker added that the Permanent Secretary’s action was in deviance to “all the known civil service rules.”
To this end, she urged the House to invoke section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act against Shamaki for the alleged contempt.
The said section states: “A person who: assaults or obstructs a member of the legislative house while in the execution of his or her duties … [or] within the legislative house; … [or] who refuses to abide by the laid down proceeding of a legislative house or committee commits a contempt of the Legislative House.”
Sub-section three of the section proposes a “fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of two years or both” if the person so accused is found guilty.
Other lawmakers who spoke on the issue also condemned the permanent secretary’s action and urged the House to call her to order.
In his intervention, Nkem Uzoma-Abonta (PDP-Abia) who described the act as ‘sacrilege’, urged the House to refer the matter to the “appropriate law enforcement agencies.
“We should set an example with this otherwise we would be battling with these kind of issues. If this is not handled seriously, something worse will happen to us,” he noted.
While ruling, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, stressed the need to give the Permanent Secretary to fair hearing.
To this end, the House resolved to summon the permanent secretary and subsequently referred the matter to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for further legislative action.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
