Reps Issues Final Summons to REA MD, NEP Boss 

•As agencies fail to honour probe invitation

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy on Tuesday issued a final summons to the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and the Head of the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP), Olufemi Akinyelure, following their continued absence before the panel.

The committee is probing grants, loans, and investments made in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector from 2015 to 2024. 

The investigation is concentrating on how funds were disbursed, the execution of projects, and adherence to statutory and financial guidelines.

During the resumed investigative session in Abuja, Committee Chairman, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, voiced strong dissatisfaction over what he described as persistent disregard by the agencies’ leadership for the panel’s invitations.

He cautioned that should the two officials fail to appear before the committee on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 2 p.m., lawmakers would have no choice but to activate their constitutional authority to compel their attendance.

Ogene declared that despite what he described as attempts by the REA Managing Director to evade appearing before the committee, he would not escape accountability.

He stressed that the Constitution clearly empowers the House committee to enforce attendance.

Nonetheless, he said the panel was extending one final invitation for them to show up on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 2 p.m., warning that failure to comply would leave the committee with no alternative but to issue a warrant of arrest.

The chairman underscored that the ongoing investigation forms part of the National Assembly’s constitutional responsibility to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public and donor funds. 

He noted this was particularly crucial in the renewable energy sector, given its importance to rural development and national economic expansion.

Meanwhile, signs have surfaced of an internal jurisdictional disagreement within the House of Representatives regarding which committee holds primary oversight authority over the Rural Electrification Agency.

In a letter dated February 27, 2026, addressed to the REA Managing Director, the Chairman of the House Committee on National Rural Electrification Agency, Hon. Muhammad Ibrahim Bukar, maintained that his committee is the properly constituted standing committee vested with primary supervisory responsibility over the REA. 

He stated that this includes oversight of the agency’s finances, use of grants and loans, implementation of projects, and overall institutional performance.

The letter argued that the passage of a motion on the House floor or general references to agencies operating within the renewable energy space does not supersede the clearly defined allocation of duties.

It further clarified that while the Committee on Renewable Energy possesses a broad mandate over sector-wide policies, detailed operational, financial, and administrative issues relating specifically to the REA including project domiciliation, utilisation of grants, and rollout of renewable energy initiatives which fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Rural Electrification Committee.

Bukar instructed the agency to channel all matters concerning legislative oversight, inquiries, requests for documents, and appearances strictly through the House Committee on Rural Electrification.

He also directed the REA to avoid responding to or engaging in parallel communications with any other House committee on issues that fall within his committee’s oversight authority, particularly where such matters are already under examination.

Additionally, he mandated that any communication received from other committees relating specifically to REA matters should be formally referred to his committee for proper coordination and direction.

The letter warned that conducting simultaneous or parallel investigations into the REA without formal coordination could disrupt institutional order and generate avoidable conflicts.

It further pointed out that the current structure of House committees, now expanded to more than 120 specialised panels, was intentionally designed to prevent duplication of responsibilities and overlapping mandates.