In continuance of its investigation into the mandate and implementation of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), the House of Representatives joint committee on downstream, Niger Delta Ministry and Local Governments has summoned the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, to give an insight on the ministry's role in the federal government's SURE-P.

The invitation was also extended to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mallam Sanusi Lamido. They are both to appear on Tuesday next week.

Yesterday's session was a continuation of the meeting that stated last week Tuesday in which the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the chairman of SURE-P committee, Dr Christopher Kolade, Director-General of the Budget Office, Mr Bright Okogun, among others were present.

Announcing the invitation during a meeting with stakeholders of SURE-P, the chairman of the joint committee, Dakuku Peterside, assured Nigerians that the inquest into the programme by the House has been and will continue to be guided by national interest. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen and Minister of State for Health, Muhammad Ali Pate.

The meeting, which provided fresh perspectives on the activities of the benefiting ministries and agencies was characterised by the ministers speaking extensively on their challenges and constraints in their ministry's implementation of SURE-P. But the lawmakers were not satisfied with the presentation and queried why some of the contracts for projects awarded by the Ministry of Works were done without due process.

Explaining the matter, Onolememen said that the ministry decided to discard the issue of fragmentation of projects because it serves nobody's interest and must therefore be addressed in the interest of the people.