The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy on Tuesday issued a final summons to the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Engr. Abba Aliyu, and the Head of the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP), Mr. Olufemi Akinyelure, over their repeated failure to appear before the panel.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Afam Ogene, announced the directive at the resumed hearing and expressed displeasure over the non-compliance by the agency leadership with previous invitations. He warned that if the two officials fail to appear before the committee on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 2 p.m., the lawmakers would invoke their constitutional powers to compel attendance.
“The MD of the Rural Electrification Agency, despite his attempts to avoid appearing before this committee, will not get away with it lightly,” Ogene stated.
“The Constitution clearly empowers this committee of the House of Representatives to compel appearance. In the spirit of fairness, however, we are issuing a final invitation for them to appear on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 2 p.m. Failing which, this committee will have no option but to issue a warrant of arrest.”
Ogene emphasised that the probe forms part of the National Assembly’s constitutional mandate to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public and donor funds, particularly in a critical sector like renewable energy, which is central to rural development and national economic growth.
Meanwhile, a jurisdictional dispute has arisen within the House over which committee holds primary oversight responsibility for the REA.
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, stated that his committee is “the duly constituted Standing Committee of the House of Representatives vested with primary oversight over the REA, including its financial operations, utilisation of grants and loans, project implementation activities, and institutional performance.”
The letter clarified that while the Committee on Renewable Energy has a broad mandate over sector-wide policies, operational, financial, and administrative matters of the REA, including project domiciliation, grant utilization, and deployment of renewable energy projects fall solely under the jurisdiction of the Rural Electrification Committee.
Bukar directed the agency to channel all legislative oversight, inquiries, documentation requests, and appearances strictly through his committee and to refrain from engaging with other committees on matters that fall within his committee’s oversight. He also instructed that any communications received from other committees on REA-specific issues should be formally referred to his committee for appropriate coordination.
The correspondence warned that parallel inquiries into the REA without proper coordination could undermine institutional order and create unnecessary friction.
The Committee on Renewable Energy is currently investigating grants, loans, and investments in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector from 2015 to 2024, with particular focus on fund disbursement, project implementation, and compliance with statutory and financial regulations.
