Friday, December 7, 2012

Oteh must go, Reps insist



. Make U-turn on Jonathan’ssummons
The House of Representatives has insisted that the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh, must be removed before the National Assembly could have no dealings with the agency.
The House also warned that the 2013 budget proposal for the commission would not be approved.
The House reiterated the call for her sack yesterday through its spokesman, Hon. Zakari Muhammed (PDP-Kwara).
Muhammed was represented at a press briefing on Oteh and other issues by his Deputy, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene (APGA-Anambra).
“We made our findings and nobody has faulted those findings because they are based on law that says you must have certain (15 cognate) years of experience in the capital market for you to head the SEC and nobody has faulted that.
“We remain resolute that the House of Representatives will have no dealings with the commission under Arunma Oteh as Director- General,” he said.
On the earlier invitation to the President by the House to brief it on the insecurity in the country, Muhammed said the House was still keeping its doors open.
He said that the President could appear before the House at any time convenient for him, adding that the House was worried about the growing insecurity in the country.
“On June 19, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted a motion on the security situation and one of the prayers of that motion was to invite, not summon Mr. President and other heads of security agencies to interface with the House in a closed session because security is not what you discuss in the open. Our concern was the security and well-being of the Nigerian people.
“We are worried by the mounting security situation.
However, if you sleep in your house and invite a visitor, you cannot complain that the visitor is taking too long because you are in your house. So you keep waiting until the visitor comes.
“But like every other Nigerian, we are worried that the security situation, instead of getting better, is worsening.
“Maybe there is something Mr. President knows that we don’t know, but we feel that as representatives of the people, there are things that each member in the different areas that are embattled would have to say to help the situation.
“Jonathan is President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and until such a time that he deems it necessary to interface with us concerning security, our doors remain open.
“Don’t forget that the direct supervision of the security apparatus are under Jonathan. The problem of security lies in the hands of Mr. President.
“We are only acting as concerned Nigerians on behalf of the Nigerian people to say that we should rub minds on this issue.
The Speaker has met with the President several times in closed sessions and security has always featured.”
National Mirror

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