TheCable

The senate has threatened to come down hard on Okechukwu Enelamah, minister of industry, trade and investment, over his failure to participate in the investigative hearing on the alleged illegal repatriation of $13.92billion out of the country by MTN.

The minister, who owns CELTELCOM and is said to have invested in MTN, was to explain before the senate committee on banking, insurance and financial his role in the allegation.

The investigative hearing is sequel to a motion sponsored by Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, that the minister colluded with MTN to take out the aforementioned sum.

But at the hearing on Thursday, it was observed that Enelamah, who was initially present at the hearing room, left before the proceedings could begin.

“For the fact that Pascal Dozie said he is standing for everybody, since it’s a group, we would want you to admonish him,” Rafiu Ibrahim, chairman of the committee, said.

“It’s because he’s a minister we are using the name and treating him as an investor in MTN; we are not talking to him because he is a minister.

“So next time he should communicate better with the committee and let us know, it is… I don’t want to call it an audacity against the whole senate.

“He is not above the senate and for him to come and say he cannot wait, we would not know what he is going for, maybe another $25 million wants to drop in our CRF (cash reserve fund) this afternoon or its FDI [foreign direct investment) he is bringing that he believes is more important than these.

“So we would be sending you (Dozie) to him, sir, to engage with the senate in a more civilised way or we would be forced to invoke our powers.”