The Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, said the motion he moved on the floor of the House which led to the declaration of vote of no confidence on the Minister of Mines and Steel, Kayode Fayemi and the minister of state in the ministry, Bawa Bwari, was not a personal attack.
Gbajabiamila stated this while speaking with select journalist in Lagos.
In a recent motion by Gbajabiamila, members of the Green Chambers passed a vote of no confidence on Fayemi and Bwari. They also resolved to set up a “powerful investigative ad-hoc committee” to unravel all the surrounding issues in the Ajaokuta steel company.
“Before you bring people directly into plenary, it must be of utmost public importance. We thought the issue required that kind of importance; the speaker personally wrote the minister to give 10 days prior notice. It was only a day before the hearing that the minister caused the ministry to respond, to say he will not be coming.
“The speaker responded again urging him to make time; it was not until the hearing had commenced that the minister dispatched a hurriedly written letter and the thrust was that they are going on with the concession,” he said.
He said the legislators were justified to be furious at the absence of the minister, especially considering that nobody showed up from the ministry which “communicated disrespect for the parliament.”
According to him, “They also instructed the sole administrator of Ajaokuta not to show up; everybody smelled a rat. There was propriety to cover something; it was unfortunate that Dr. Kayode put us in that situation. We saw the mood of the house and we were not going to put our neck on the chopping block,” he said.
