(http://edge.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/President-Goodluck-Jonathan--360x225.jpg)The House of Representatives has vowed to ensure that the outcome of the recommendations of its Ad Hoc Committee on Monitoring of the Subsidy Regime is implemented.
The federal lawmakers said the recommendations and their implementation would form the basis on which requests from the President Goodluck Jonathan-led executive arm would be assessed.
The House stressed that it had "legislative powers" and could invoke such powers to ensure that the recommendations of its Ad-Hoc Committee on Monitoring of the Subsidy Regime were implemented if adopted by the House.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, told a news conference that one way of ensuring the implementation of the report was to make it a pre-condition for approval any requests from the executive.
Although, the letter said Tukur planned to appreciate the support he got from the House during the PDP's national convention, it raised questions immediately it was read.
He said, "We, as a House, we don't prosecute, but we shall use all our legislative powers to ensure that these recommendations see the light of the day.
"We shall ensure that those agencies affected by the report adhere strictly to the recommendations."
Mohammed, who held a joint news conference with the Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Mr. Farouk Lawan, explained that the House had enormous constitutional powers, including the power of appropriation, to invoke.
Asked for details on how the House would enforce compliance with the report, he replied, "We shall make this report a pre-condition for approving any requests.
"We have ways of doing things in exchange.
"We can say let this be done (the report) or we won't do certain things; that is the condition."
The report is expected to be considered by lawmakers on Tuesday next week.
But, barely 24 hours after the House released its report on the fuel subsidy probe, it received a letter of invitation to attend a meeting with the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamangar Tukur.
The letter, which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, caused ripples in the legislative chamber on Thursday, though it was addressed to the PDP caucus.
The Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, tried to stop the letter from being read, saying it was a PDP affair, but he failed.
His protest caused a mild drama in the plenary, as the majority PDP members shouted him down with shouts of "PDP, power!"
The proposed meeting with Tukur is fixed for April 30, but speculations flew minutes later, as some members suspected that it might be connected with the fuel subsidy report.
"The timing of this invitation is suspect.
"It may be mere suspicion, but considering that the fuel subsidy report has heavily indicted some serving and past PDP top shots, you can understand if a letter like this raises suspicion," a lawmaker confided in The PUNCH.
Although, lawmakers have yet to consider the report, the House insisted on Thursday that when adopted, it would pursue the implementation of the recommendations to the letter.
But, given that the report gave a time frame of three months for the recommendations to be implemented, it is unclear how this will happen.
The eight-member panel led by Lawman made far-reaching recommendations on the fraud that was carried out by government agencies and fuel-importation contractors between 2009 and 2011.
It had recommended that the NNPC, the PPPRA and 72 companies should refund N1.07trillion, which they fraudulently took as subsidy claims.
The committee had observed that in many cases, petroleum products were not imported but documents were produced to claim subsidy by portfolio-carrying fuel contractors.
Contrary to the 59million litres of petrol, which the PPPRA paid daily in 2011, the panel established that the country did not consume more than 31m litres.
From figures ranging from N1.3tn, N1.4tn, N1.6tn to N1.7tn quoted as subsidy claims in 2011, the panel found out that over N2.5tn was the actual payment as at December 31.
Among others, the panel recommended the unbundling of the NNPC and the investigation/prosecution of its board, management and staff, who were involved in the subsidy scam.
The Punch