Buzzapp Master 
A source at the National Assembly who spoke to SaharaReporters on Wednesday expressed outrage over what they described as a blatant attempt to undermine the authority of the parliament.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, alongside key officials in his ministry, has once again ignored an invitation from the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, defying a third summons to respond to serious allegations of job racketeering and abuse of office involving the sale of federal employment slots for as much as N2.5 million.
A source at the National Assembly who spoke to SaharaReporters on Wednesday expressed outrage over what they described as a blatant attempt to undermine the authority of the parliament.
The source added that the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has threatened to decide the case in the absence of the Works Minister David Umahi, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, and the Director of Human Resources, should they fail to honour its fresh summons over damning allegations of job racketeering in the ministry.
“The fourth summons has now been issued. They refused to honour the last three previous ones. They were expected to appear last Wednesday, June 18, but they failed to show up so the House Committee issued a fresh summons on June 19,” the source said.
The source added: “Their attitude shows they are hiding something. Governance is a continuous process, what has the minister done to look into the matter since he was first invited by the National Assembly? Except if the present Minister is trying to protect the former minister (who is a political ally) and the corrupt set of directors.”
According to the source, the committee has now adjourned the public hearing to July 22, 2025, at 2:00 pm, warning that if the top officials fail to appear again, the Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions will issue a bench warrant for their arrest.
The new summons issued by the Committee reads in part: “Whereas the above-named petition is now pending before this Committee… YOU ARE HEREBY required to note Sections 88 and 89 (C) of our Constitution (as amended) and appear in person before this Committee on Tuesday, 22 July, 2025 at 2:00pm…
“AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that if you do not attend the hearing as required, the case may be heard or determined in your absence.”
The summons, dated June 19, 2025, was signed by the Committee Chairman and directed to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary. The Ministry is expected to submit one soft copy and 10 hard copies of its defence on the matter.
When SaharaReporters contacted Uchenna Orji, Special Adviser to the Minister on Media, for comments, she dismissed the allegations and shifted the blame to a previous administration.
“That staff cannot drag the ministry over his self-inflicted imbroglio with the previous administration,” she stated.
But this is not the first time the works ministry has been accused of stonewalling legislative oversight.
SaharaReporters previously reported how Umahi and his team failed to honour a previous invitation on May 29, 2025.
This angered committee members who described the snub as “administrative rascality.”
The ongoing probe was triggered by a petition from a whistleblower, Martins Oghenerhoro Richard Atijegbe, a staff member in the Ministry’s Human Resource Management Department.
Atijegbe alleged that senior officials in the ministry had been illegally selling federal jobs for as much as ₦2.5 million, issuing forged appointment letters, and fast-tracking recruits into the federal payroll system, IPPIS, within weeks — all in blatant disregard of due process.
He said his petition to both chambers of the National Assembly has to do with employment racketeering involving the Ministry of Works.
“It is our director who collected the sum of N2.5 million from people, like selling a job to them, and within a month, he would issue fake documents and enrol them into IPPIS,” he said.
Atijegbe said he had faced severe persecution since exposing the scandal, alleging that his life and job were now at risk.
His lawyer, Liberty Semper Fidelis, in a formal petition to the National Assembly, accused the Ministry of fraud, conspiracy, abuse of office, and attempts at cover-up.
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