Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties, Agreements and Protocols, Nicholas Ossai where in a ferocious argument over the $500billion Chinese loans to Nigeria.
This development had forced the Committee of the House of Representatives to a 30-minutes break after the argument became unbearable.
The $500billion loan has been a matter of controversy in the country in which a committee was set up to investigate the loan agreement between Nigeria and China for the Federal Government’s rail projects.
The matter embroiled when Nicholas Ossai had asked the minister of transportation on futher enunciation on the content components of the loan agreements.
Amaechi said getting the remaining loans from China might become futile due to the growing doubts and investigations hovering around the project.
Amaechi further accused the Committee of pursuing a political agenda, alleging that Ossai had approached him on the South-South Rail Project.
“We may not get that loan. We will lose that contract from Lagos to Calabar, because of the committee you have set up”, he said.
“When Ossai said he was not talking about South-South rail but Nigeria at large, Ameachi retorted “You have approached me on south-south rail. Have you not? You have. Until you get the loan, there will be no contract. And there will be no loan.”
The tone of the conversation prompted a member of the Committee, Hon. Wole Oke to call the attention of the Chair for “guidance”, but the call was not heeded.
The minister was later discharged and asked to reappear before the lawmakers on Tuesday at 12 noon.
This is the second time the Minister would be summoned before the Committee over the foreign loan meant for railway projects.
(C) Control TV 2020.
