There was mild drama at the sitting of the Senate Committee on Local Content after former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, walked out of an investigative hearing.
The Senator representing Bayelsa West, accused the panel of conducting a “selective inquiry” targeted at former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva.
The committee, chaired by Senator Thomas Joel-Onowakpo (Delta South), is probing a widely circulated publication alleging the diversion of $14.8 million involving the former Bayelsa governor and ex-minister.
The lawmakers had summoned the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, alongside members of his management team, to provide clarifications.
Trouble began when Senator Dickson objected to the line of questioning, insisting that the committee must “look into the totality of the funds and the entire financial transactions” rather than dwelling solely on allegations linked to Sylva.
He described the exercise as a possible witch-hunt, arguing that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was already investigating the matter.
Responding, Senator Joel-Onowakpo rejected the claims of bias, insisting the committee had no interest in targeting anyone.
Following the contentious session, the committee resolved to re-summon the NCDMB Executive Secretary to provide further detailed explanations at a later date..click on the Read Original at the top to read Full news if you’re reading from Phoenix
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
