NATIONAL, NEWS
The video shows how a meeting that started on a
good note suddenly went sour.
When on December 19, 2013, members of the House
of Representatives Committee on Finance gave
Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, 50
questions on Nigeria’s current economic situation,
they asked her to respond within two weeks.
A reliable source in the House told PREMIUM TIMES
that the minister was, as at Monday evening, yet to
respond to the questions, three days after the two-
week ultimatum given by the lawmakers expired.
The source, however, said the minister could still
answer the questions before the lawmakers resume
from their Yuletide vacation next Monday.
However, the presentation of the questions to the
minister had its own drama, with an exclusive video,
sourced by PREMIUM TIMES showing the minister
initially making jest of the lawmakers after they
informed her of their decision to hand her the 50-
question homework.
The video indicates that the controversial meeting
started on a warm note with exchange of
pleasantries between the executive team, led by Mrs.
Okonjo-Iweala (and including the Director General of
the Budget Office, Bright Okogwu) and the
lawmakers led by the committee chairman,
Abdulmumini Jibrin.
Despite starting on a good note, the meeting, which
centred around the 2014 budget earlier presented by
the minister to the House and the Senate,
degenerated when the lawmakers told the finance
minister not to respond to their questions on that
day after she said she was ‘feeling ill’.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said she came to the meeting ‘out
of respect’ to the lawmakers as she was not healthy
enough to attend.
After the presentation of the questions, however, the
minister insisted she would answer the questions on
that day, a request refused by the lawmakers who
said they wanted her to come back when she was
‘strong and energetic.’
While the session ended on a sour note, the drama is
expected to continue when Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala
eventually responds to the lawmakers’ questions and
appears to defend her submission.
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