The House of Representatives Tuesday summoned Dangote Cement, BUA Cement, Lafarge Cement, Asaka Cement and Eagle Cement, to appear before its joint committee over the arbitrary increase in the price of cement across the country.
The decision of the Green Chamber to give the ultimatum may not be unconnected with refusal of the cement manufacturers to appear before at a public hearing to investigate the arbitrary increase in the price of cement in Nigeria organised by House Joint Committees on Commerce, Industry, Special Duties and Solid Minerals in Abuja
To this end, the committee has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the cement manufacturers to cause appearance.
TheHintsNews reports that the House had adopted a motion on the “arbitrary increase in the price of cement by cement manufacturers in Nigeria”, and subsequently constituted the Joint Committee to investigate the matter.
However, at the investigative hearing, five cement manufacturers in Nigeria including Dangote Cement, BUA Cement, Lafarge Cement, Asaka Cement and Eagle Cement failed to appear and did not send any representative to brief the lawmakers.
Based on this, the chairman of the Committee on Solid Minerals, Hon. Gaza Gbefwi handed down the summon and directed the manufacturers to cause appearance.
In his ruling , Gbefwi warned that the House and the National Assembly were not in receipt of any court order restraining it from inviting anyone, hence those summoned must appear before the legislative panel.
He stated:“In the human nature of the House, because we owe them a duty of care, because they are equally Nigerians we are giving them 14 days in which to make their submissions if not, as we have sworn to uphold the Constitution, we will use everything within our powers to make sure that Nigerians, number one: are not taken for granted and number two, are not exploited.”