House of Reps summons CBN governor, Cardoso over REMITA

Oluwasegun SanusiFebruary 28, 20241 Mins read542

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, to appear before it on March 5, 2024, regarding alleged leakages with the e-payment solution platform, REMITA.

Expressing their frustrations over Cardoso’s failure to appear before the committee during previous sittings, the committee emphasised the critical nature of his presence in facilitating their investigative process on revenue leakages through the REMITA platform.

In a letter signed by the committee’s chairman, Bamidele Salam, it was stated that the Public Accounts Committee possessed the authority to summon any individual in Nigeria to provide evidence and produce relevant documents. Failure to comply with this invitation may lead to the issuance of a warrant of arrest by legislative procedures and the Constitution.

According to the Punch, the letter titled, “Investigation of revenue leakages through REMITA platform and non-compliance substantially with the standard operating procedure and other allied service level agreements 2023,” admonished Cardoso to utilise this final opportunity to appear before the committee on March 5, 2024, at 10 am in the Meeting Room 446 of the House of Representatives New Building.

Furthermore, Cardoso was advised to bring all relevant officers who were knowledgeable about the issues in question to provide comprehensive responses during the hearing session. The committee highlighted the inadequacy of representation, emphasising that all chief accounting officers must appear in person to defend their offices.

The committee’s stance on this matter underscored the importance of upholding constitutional provisions, particularly Sections 62 and 89(1) (a, b, c & d) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).