Reps summon Transport Minister, give 48hrs ultimatum over train derailment
By Jeffrey Agbo
The House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport has ordered the Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, to appear before it within 48 hours over last week’s Abuja-Kaduna train derailment involving 618 passengers.
The directive followed Alkali’s failure to attend the committee’s investigative hearing on the incident.
Committee Chairperson, Blessing Onuh, condemned the minister’s absence, describing it as both “unacceptable” and “insensitive” to Nigerians whose lives were endangered.
“A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. We are on recess, but many of us cut our break and came all the way from Lagos because of this national tragedy, only for the minister to snub the parliament.
“We take strong exception to this. Our brothers and sisters were endangered. This is not a joke. We are therefore suspending this meeting and mandating the Minister to appear in person within 48 hours,” Onuh declared.
Deputy House spokesman, Philip Agbese, was even more critical, insisting that Alkali’s absence showed incompetence and disregard for Nigerians.
He said: “This clearly shows he is not competent to handle the job entrusted to him by the President. It is a dangerous signal that he does not care about the lives of Nigerians or the reputation of this government.
“The President has warned that no minister or agency head should ignore parliament. This minister has chosen contempt. If he fails to show up, Nigerians should know there is effectively no minister of transportation in this country.”
Also speaking, committee member Cyril Hart expressed dismay that Alkali, himself a former legislator, ignored the summons.
“Over 618 Nigerians could have died. This raises serious questions about the integrity of our rail infrastructure. For a former lawmaker to shun this committee when Nigerians need answers is a betrayal.
“Even the Railway MD has once sought to join this parliament, so he knows the respect due to it. We cannot allow anyone to toy with the lives of our people,” Hart said.
The committee suspended its sitting until Alkali appears, warning that if he continues to disregard parliament, the matter will be escalated directly to President Bola Tinubu.
