The House of Representatives, on Wednesday mandated its committee on communications to investigate the sale of non-core assets of the Nigeria Telecommunications Limited, NITEL and Mobile Telecommunications Limited, MTEL.
The committee is expected to report back to the House within three weeks.
The resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Ali Yakubu, a member from Yobe State, which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.
The motion was entitled ‘Urgent need to investigate the sale of non-core assets of Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTEL)”
Moving his motion, Yakubu said the essence was to ensure probity and accountability in government transactions.
The lawmaker said that in 2005, the federal government appointed a Liquidator to take over and sell all the non- core assets of NITEL and MTEL.
He said that the liquidator sold the assets without remitting the amount realised to the designated federation account.
The lawmaker told the House that the non-core assets of the two telecommunication companies all over Nigeria amounted to billions of naria.
He expressed concern that the money realised from the sale of the assets “may have been fraudulently frittered away without proper accountability to the detriment of government.”
Yakubu urged the House to look into the matter to ensure proper accountability.
“The House will be failing in its duties as parliament saddled with the responsibility of ensuring probity and accountability in government transactions, if it does not act now in a matter that involves national assets like NITEl and MTEL,” he said.