By IKENNA OSUOHA

The House Committee on Land Transport has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, to appear before it over the derailment of an Abuja–Kaduna train on Aug. 25.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ultimatum followed the inability of the minister to honour an earlier invitation by the committee on the incident on Tuesday.

The Kaduna bound train was carrying 618 passengers when it derailed.

The Committee Chairperson, Blessing Onuh, said it was unacceptable for the minister to “turn his back on Nigerians at a time they need him most.

“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,” she said.

The Deputy Spokesman of the House, Rep. Philip Agbese, described the minister’s absence as demonstration of incompetence and disregard for the Nigerian people.

“This action 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 should ignore parliament invitation.

“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, Rep. Cyril Hart, regretted how Alkali, who was a former parliamentarian, chose to dishonour the House.

“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 a history of trying to join this parliament, so he knows the respect due to it. We cannot allow anyone to toy with the lives of our people,” he said.

The committee unanimously resolved to suspend its hearing until the Minister appears in person, warning that continued disregard would be reported directly to the President. (NAN)