We’re Still Waiting for Response on Economy, House C’ttee Reminds Okonjo-Iweala

The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has responded to a report by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that she needed more time to answer the 50 questions handed to her by the committee on December 19 on the state of the economy.

Last week, Okonjo-Iweala likened the 50 questions on the state of the economy posed to her by the committee as an examination.

The committee chairman, Abdul-Mumini Jibrin (APC  Kano), who described the statement of the minister as a vindication of the decision it took last year when it gave her two weeks to answer the questions posed to her, noted that "the minister appears to be taking the memories of Nigerians for granted.

"This was the minister who walked into the meeting with the committee and drew everyone’s sympathy the moment she feebly announced that she was not feeling well.

“Isn’t it curious then that when she was not feeling well, the minister was prepared to address 50 questions in a session that was to last just about two hours, and now that she is fully fit, and hale and hearty, she is saying she would need more time?" he asked.

He said with her recovery, "Nigerians would have expected her to tell them she would tackle the questions in 30 minutes!" pointing out that instead, she had chosen to avoid the committee for 11 months and drops the president’s name at will.

"It is a good thing that Okonjo-Iweala sees the task before her as an examination. The minister is nonetheless reminded that examinations have duration, and they are meant to be passed or flunked. However, we would not neglect to also remind her that there are consequences either way. There is a reward for passing and reward for failure. One way or the other, we would decide how she performs."

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