NIGERIA- Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National House of Representatives will commence a probe into the alleged plans to sell the Nigeria Houses in New York.

The houses were said to be the official residence of Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Counsel General.

According to sources, the Supervisory Minister of Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuluri, is expected to face the panelists and explain what actually transpired.

Speaking about the development, the clerk of the committee, Haruna Zakari, said the permanent secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martins Uhomoibi, current Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Joy Ogwu and his deputy, Ambassador Usman Sarki, will join the minister at the panel.

Others are Nigeria’s ambassador to the US, Washington DC, Prof Adebowale Adefuye; former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to UN, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; current Nigeria’s ambassador to China and former Permanent Representative to UN, Aminu Wali and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, among others.

It would be recalled that on November 5, the lower chamber alleged that a plan to sell the above mentioned houses were underway and the committee led by Rep Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje was saddled with the investigation.

The Nigeria House was said to have been bought in 1961 by late Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa from the famous John Davison Rockefeller family at the sum of $1 million and is said to be located in one of the most expensive places in the world which makes it both historic and strategic.

It sits on over 16.6 acres of land and all former Nigerian representatives to UN had lived there.

During an oversight tour of the committee to the property, they discovered grey areas and felt that such a monument should not be sold off.