The Senate on Thursday issued a warrant for the arrest of the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr. Peer Lubasch, for persistently refusing to appear before its Committee on Works.
The resolution followed a motion moved by the Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West), co-sponsored by Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South) and Mpigi Barinada (PDP, Rivers South-East).
In his motion, Senator Ngwu informed the Senate that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc had consistently failed to honour invitations to provide explanations regarding project abandonment and an alarming increase in contract costs from N54bn to N195bn.
Senator Ngwu, in the motion, said, “Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has neglected and refused to honour invitations to provide details of their role in the Odukpani-Itu Highway project, despite receiving substantial public funds amounting to over N18bn.”
He raised the alarm about “discrepancies in performance among contractors on these projects, with specific reference to Julius Berger for failing to meet target.”
He pointed out that the National Assembly was empowered by Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) “to conduct investigations and summon any person or organisation responsible for administering public funds.”
He also referenced Section 6(1) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, “which empowers the Senate to issue warrants of arrest for persons in contempt of its proceedings.”
He called the Senate’s attention to the alleged “termination of Julius Berger’s contract for the Odukpani-Itu Highway project due to demobilisation and refusal to accept contract review terms, despite their initial contract value of N54,172,541,180.03 and subsequent request for an upward review to N195bn.”
He, therefore, urged the Senate to “invoke the constitutional powers of the National Assembly as provided in Section 89(1)(c) and (d) of the 1999 Constitution to issue a warrant of arrest to compel the attendance of the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc at the rescheduled investigative hearing.”
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stated that the specific date for the MD’s appearance before the Committee on Works would be outlined in the arrest warrant.
The motion sparked debate among senators regarding the best approach to address Julius Berger’s non-compliance.
Senators Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), and Joel Onowakpo Thomas (APC, Delta) advocated for immediate issuance of the arrest warrant by the Senate President.
Senators Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), and Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North) suggested that the matter be resolved at the committee level to avoid unnecessary escalation.
Despite the division, the Senate resolved to issue the warrant of arrest, underscoring its commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in the administration of public funds.
Punch.
