The House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport has given the Minister of Transportation, Sa’idu Alkali, 48 hours to appear before it over the derailment of an Abuja–Kaduna train on 25 August.
The ultimatum followed the minister’s failure to honour an earlier invitation to appear before the committee during its sitting on Tuesday. The Kaduna-bound train, carrying 618 passengers, derailed in what lawmakers described as a “national tragedy.”
Committee Chairperson, Hon. Blessing Onuh, criticised the minister’s absence, saying it amounted to neglect of duty at a critical time.
“It is unacceptable for the minister to turn his back on Nigerians at a time they need him most. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. We are on recess, but many of us cut our break and came all the way from Lagos because of this national tragedy. Only for the minister to snub the parliament. We take strong exception to this. Our brothers and sisters were endangered. This is not a joke. We are therefore suspending this meeting and mandating the Minister to appear in person within 48 hours,” Onuh declared.
Deputy Spokesman of the House, Rep. Philip Agbese, described Alkali’s absence as a sign of incompetence and disregard for Nigerians.
“This action clearly shows he is not competent to handle the job entrusted to him by the President. It is a dangerous signal that he does not care about the lives of Nigerians or the reputation of this government. The President has warned that no minister or agency should ignore parliament invitation. This minister has chosen contempt. If he fails to show up, Nigerians should know there is effectively no Minister of Transportation in this country,” Agbese said.
Also speaking, Rep. Cyril Hart condemned Alkali’s conduct, noting his background as a former lawmaker.
“Over 618 Nigerians could have died. This raises serious questions about the integrity of our rail infrastructure. For a former lawmaker to shun this committee when Nigerians need answers is a betrayal. Even the Railway MD has a history of trying to join this parliament, so he knows the respect due to it. We cannot allow anyone to toy with the lives of our people,” Hart said.
The committee resolved to suspend its hearing until the minister appears in person, warning that continued disregard would be reported directly to President Bola Tinubu.
