By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The battle of wits and drama of the absurd that has been playing out in recent times between lawmakers and public and private officials invited to give account of their stewardship took a different turn on Wednesday when the House of Representatives mandated that DSTV boss, John Ugbe, be tested for coronavirus.
For failing to appear before the lawmakers for the second time on the ground that he was ill, the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating non- implementation of the pay-as-you-go tariff plan by satellite broadcasters and DSTV subscription price increase asked Director General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control NCDC, Dr. Ihekweazu Chikwe, to locate the Chief Executive Officer of Multichoice (operators of DSTV), John Ugbe, and test him for COVID-19.
The Committee, while passing the resolution, also asked the agency to immediately commence contact-tracing of passengers in the plane with him, his staff and those he may have had contact with at the airport.
The resolution of the committee stemmed from the second letter written by Ugbe to the Committee that he would be unable to appear before it having come down with an illness after arriving Abuja on Tuesday for the meeting.
The letter signed by Gozie Onumonon, Head: Regulatory Affairs, for the CEO, reads in part: “Because of the abundance of caution needed to be taken in line with the current pandemic, we believe it is necessary that the meeting be deferred until he has regained his health and is cleared by his medical doctor. ”
