The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has threatened to arrest the Minister of FCT, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar, over what the committee says is his absolute disregard for the House even as they turned back the Permanent Secretary in FCT.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Atai Idoko Alli, who disclosed this yesterday, said the failure of the minister to honour summons before the committee shows that he has something to hide.

Dr. Umar had last Monday been directed by the committee which oversees the FCT to appear before it on Thursday armed with relevant information on his administration's progress in the implementation of the 2008 budget as it concerns the Federal Territory.

The minister kept members of the committee waiting for about an hour at the venue of the meeting, only for a delegation of the FCT, led by the Permanent Secretary in the FCT,  Mr. Layi Ogunbambi, to appear.

Expressing the disappointment of the committee with the minister, Hon. Aidoko  told the delegation that he would not accept their briefing since the minister and his minister of state deliberately shunned the invitation of the committee without permission, adding that the invitation was confirmed to have been delivered 48 hours earlier.

According to him, "the Minister has shown serious disregard for this committee and I want to state very clearly that this committee would not tolerate any act of disrespect for this parliament. It appears that the FCT administration, led by the minister, has taken this committee for granted.

"I would say that we cannot continue with this meeting until the minister deems it appropriate to brief this committee on what what has been happening in the Federal Capital Territory," he stated.

The committee drew the attention of the FCT administration to the relevant provisions of the constitution which empowers the lawmakers to issue a warrant of arrest, declaring that it would not hesitate to apply them to compel the minister's appearance before the committee as a way to facilitate its oversight function.

However, Mr. Ogunbambi explained that the minister's absence was not an attempt to lessen the importance of the committee but that the minister was unable to personally appear because of prior engagements.

The Permanent Secretary noted that the letter inviting the FCT Administration was received only 24 hours earlier, contrary to the stamp of acknowledgement which indicated that the invitation was delivered on Monday.

He added that the FCT Administration realised that "to ignore that provisions of the constitution would be done to our peril. So, it is definitely not in our best interest to undermine the power given to you under the constitution to oversee the daily operations and functions of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and therefore it cannot be, it will not be in our interest.

"Having said that sir, the letter of invitation got to us yesterday evening. We don't know why it got to us late and since then we have been trying our possible best to arrange to be here fully, including the minister.

"Unfortunately, because of the commitments that the minister had been arranged to perform, he could not come but he said I should come in good time and perhaps in the course of the deliberation, he will join us and that I should tender his unreserved apology to the chairman," the Permanent Secretary noted.