By Shadrach Aziz Kamara
The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Energy on Tuesday postponed a planned press conference on the country’s energy situation after the Minister of Energy and his two deputy ministers failed to appear before lawmakers, prompting strong criticism from Members of Parliament over what they described as disrespect for Parliament and a lack of accountability.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Energy, Hon. Momoh Bockarie, announced the postponement, stating that the absence of the political leadership of the Ministry of Energy made it impossible to proceed with discussions on critical issues affecting the sector.
Hon. Bockarie said the committee had convened the engagement to discuss the country’s energy status, including electricity supply challenges, energy theft, and concerns over the performance of institutions under the ministry. He stressed that Parliament could not effectively perform its oversight responsibilities without the presence of the Minister or either of the deputy ministers.
“As legislators, we have a responsibility to hold institutions accountable and to seek answers on behalf of our constituents,” Hon. Bockarie said. “Members of Parliament are constantly confronted by citizens over issues relating to electricity supply, energy expansion and the growing challenges within the sector. It would therefore have been appropriate for the Minister or one of his deputies to be here to respond to these concerns.”
While acknowledging the attendance of officials from agencies under the ministry, civil society representatives and parliamentary staff, the committee chairman maintained that the political leadership of the ministry was required for such an important engagement.
He disclosed that, following consultations with the leadership of Parliament, the committee had decided to defer the session and would communicate a new date to the ministry after the conclusion of ongoing ECOWAS-related engagements, which had reportedly been cited as the reason for the officials’ absence.
Supporting the chairman’s position, Member of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Energy, Hon. Kekura Vandi, expressed disappointment over what he described as an unprecedented lack of cooperation from the Ministry of Energy.
Hon. Vandi, who previously chaired the Energy Committee, said that during his tenure, ministers and senior officials consistently honoured parliamentary invitations and maintained close engagement with lawmakers.
“I never faced such embarrassment when I served as chairman of this committee,” he said. “Whenever the Minister, deputy ministers or Permanent Secretary were invited, they always attended or engaged the committee appropriately. What has happened today is unfortunate and amounts to an affront to Parliament.”
He urged the current committee chairman to adopt stronger measures to ensure that the ministry’s political leadership respects parliamentary oversight, warning that continued disregard for committee summonses could undermine Parliament’s constitutional role.
Representing the Speaker of Parliament, Chief Whip Hon. Alhaji Dickson Rogers also condemned the absence of the Minister and both deputy ministers, describing it as a serious disregard for Parliament.
Addressing officials present from the Ministry of Energy, Hon. Rogers questioned whether the ministry had formally informed Parliament in advance that the Minister would be unable to attend.
He noted that the ministry has two deputy ministers, arguing that at least one of them should have represented the ministry if the Minister himself was unavailable.
The Chief Whip directed the committee, through the Clerk of Parliament, to prepare a strongly worded letter to President Julius Maada Bio, complaining about what he described as the conduct of the Ministry’s political leadership towards Parliament.
“This meeting was intended to address pressing national concerns, including electricity theft and the country’s energy challenges,” Hon. Rogers said. “The Minister is absent, both deputy ministers are absent. This demonstrates that Parliament is being treated with levity.”
He further stated that Parliament is considering legislative measures to strengthen efforts against electricity theft, which he said continues to undermine electricity generation, reduce revenue collection and increase government obligations to independent power producers and regional electricity suppliers.
Hon. Rogers recalled that previous Ministers of Energy had consistently respected parliamentary invitations and maintained productive working relationships with oversight committees.
He warned that Parliament could invoke constitutional and Standing Order provisions if ministries continue to ignore summonses from parliamentary committees.
The committee subsequently adjourned the session, with the Clerk of Parliament expected to communicate a new date for the engagement to the Minis
