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, who expressed concerns over Julius Berger’s failure to honour invitations to provide explanations regarding project abandonment and an alarming increase in contract costs from N54 billion to N195 billion.
The Senate’s decision to issue an arrest warrant is a significant move to ensure accountability and transparency in the administration of public funds.
According to Senator Ngwu, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc had consistently failed to honour invitations to provide explanations regarding project abandonment and an alarming increase in contract costs.
The senator pointed out that the company had received substantial public funds amounting to over N18 billion for the Odukpani-Itu Highway project.
“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 said that “discrepancies in performance among contractors on these projects, with specific reference to Julius Berger for failing to meet target.
He noted 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 added in reference to 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.”
The motion sparked debate among senators regarding the best approach to address Julius Berger’s non-compliance. While some senators advocated for immediate issuance of the arrest warrant, others 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.
As reported, the warrant requires Dr. Lubasch to appear before the Senate Committee on Works on a specified date, and failure to comply may result in further actions as permitted by the Nigerian constitution.
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.
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Jerome Kalu
Jerome Kalu is currently the Senior Correspondent of PIJAlance in Lagos. He was previously the Campus Information Desk (CID) Editor.