On Thursday, December 12, the Nigerian Senate directed its President, Godswill Akpabio, to issue an arrest warrant for Dr. Peer Lubasch, the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, compelling him to appear before the Senate’s Committee on Works on a date to be determined.
This decision came after the Senate considered and approved a motion raised by Minority Whip, Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West), with the support of Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South) and Mpigi Barinada (PDP, Rivers South-East) during plenary.
In his motion, Senator Ngwu informed the Senate that Julius Berger had repeatedly ignored requests to explain the reasons behind the abandonment of projects and a dramatic rise in the cost of contracts from N54 billion to N195 billion.
Senator Ngwu also highlighted the company’s failure to attend meetings regarding the Odukpani-Itu Highway project, despite having received over N18 billion in public funds. He raised concerns about discrepancies in contractor performance, singling out Julius Berger for its failure to meet targets.
He pointed out that the National Assembly, under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), had the authority to investigate and summon any individual or organization responsible for managing public funds.
Citing Section 6(1) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, which allows the Senate to issue arrest warrants for contempt, he emphasized that Julius Berger’s contract for the Odukpani-Itu Highway had been terminated due to demobilization and refusal to accept revised contract terms. The contract, originally valued at N54.17 billion, was later revised to N195 billion.
Ngwu urged the Senate to invoke its constitutional powers, particularly under Section 89(1)(c) and (d) of the 1999 Constitution, to issue a warrant for the arrest of the Julius Berger MD and compel him to attend a rescheduled investigative hearing.
The Senate adopted the resolution, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio confirming that the date for the MD’s appearance before the Committee on Works would be specified in the arrest warrant.
