CHAIRMAN of the National Population Commission (NPC), Festus Odimegwu’s inability to honour a recent summon by the House of Representatives Committee on Population has infuriated the lawmakers.
The 17-member panel had reportedly requested the presence of Odimegwu to explain reasons for his “numerous unguided utterances on such sensitive issue as the 2006 and 2016 censuses” and other related NPC issues over the media.
Though the committee has not revealed its next line of action to Odimegwu’s refusal to attend the meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 19th, 2013, but sources in the committee said this has heightened antagonism against the NPC chairman’s credibility in conducting the 2016 census.
The Committee Chairman, Abdullahi Garba might be forced to invoke Section 88 (1d) which empowers the House of Representatives or its committees to compel any person in the country to appear before it.
Deputy Director at the Press unit in NPC, Simeon Atine told The Guardian yesterday that the letter from the committee did not indicate the compulsory presence of Odimegwu but requested for the management team of the commission.
But another source in the commission (who pleads anonymity) said that the chairman was actually summoned but he refused to honour, claiming it was given at a short notice.
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