The Kogi State House of Assembly on Saturday re-invited the Ministry of Solid Minerals to appear before it on Tuesday, December 20 to defend its 2024 budget estimate.

The State Assembly also re-invited the Director-General of the Kogi State Solid Mineral Development Agency to appear before it.

The Chairman, House Standing Committee on Solid Minerals, Hon. Omotayo Adeleye Ishaya, gave the directive at the Assembly complex following the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and the Director-General of the agency.

The Committeee Vice Chairman, Hon Jibril Abu, who is the current lawmaker representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, lamented that if Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello could appear before the hallow Chamber to present the State budget, some heads of MDAs have no reason to fail to appear.

“It is a big slap on our faces to see some heads of MDAs ignoring the constituted power of this hallow Chamber. The number one Citizen of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, suspended all functions of the State to present the 2024 budget.

“He respected this Assembly because he has a strong belief in the rule of law. But we are very disappointed that some Heads of MDAs are undermining our powers by sending their subordinates to defend the budget they have a faint knowledge of. For goodness sake, a Permanent Member is the Chief Accounting Officer.

All MDAs attended the Technical defence of their budget; therefore having known that the Governor has laid the draft budget before the House, there is no excuse for any MDA Head not to be on AMBER waiting for the invitation by the House to defend their Budget.

“While we acknowledge that the Kogi State Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Hon. Bashiru Gegu, is out for a State function duly transmitted to us earlier, it is totally condemnable and unacceptable that the Permanent Secretary, who is the Chief Accounting Officer of the ministry, failed to appear before us to defend their budget.

“The House, out of its magnanimity have decided to give them another saving grace to appear before them on Tuesday 19^thDecember 2023. Failure for them to appear, this Hallow Chamber will record zero budget for the ministry of solid minerals in Kogi State,” Abu said. (Saturday Telegraph)