COVID-19 Funds: Reps Begin Probe, Warn MDAs Against ‘Delay Tactics’

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives, on Monday, began a full-scale probe into the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2023 as mandated by the House at the plenary session.

Addressing the opening session, the Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam (PDP-OSUN), warned that the committee would not entertain delay tactics from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies by way of asking for an extension of time.

“The committee is probing over 60 MDAs over several billions of naira in intervention funds allocated to them during the COVID-19 pandemic and we have given them enough time to prepare for this exercise,” he said.

“The committee will not entertain any extension of time from any of the MDAs. The committee is not after any individual or groups, we are going to be diligent in carrying out our assignment.”

Salam urged the Accountant General of the Federation, whose office he argued is crucial to the assignment, to make available relevant and competent personnel to the committee to facilitate the assignment.

Some of the MDAs that appeared before the committee included Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi; the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy; the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; the Federal Ministry of Water Resources; and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), among others.

The committee directed the Chief Medical Director of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Prof Yusuf Jubrin, to reappear before it on Thursday with relevant documents to back up the funds released to the institution during the period.

While grilling the acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communication Innovation and Digital Economy and the Procurement Officer, Mohammed Ibrahim and Mrs Margret Ebute, the committee members picked holes in the documents submitted before it.

Consequently, the committee directed the officials to go back and reappear with relevant documents, such as vouchers and documentary evidence on the expenditure of the N3 billion allocated to the ministry during the period.

The committee also frowned on the award of several contracts on the same day and the claim of exclusive rights of certain contractors to provide certain services without following principles of Federal Character and due process.

The committee also faulted the claims of the ministry on the expenditure on training programmes organised during the total lockdown in the country and directed it to provide relevant documents on it and the venues of such training programmes.

Comments

€56.250m Contract Award Allegation, Malicious, False, NDDC Clarifies

By Editor The management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has dissociated itself from a fake contract award letter being circulated online purporting to originate from the desk of the managing director of the commission. The commission stated that the fake letter which purportedly notified an Italian company of an award of a contract for the sum of €56,250,000 did not emanate from the commission. According to a statement from the office of the Director, Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Dr Ibitoye Abosede, the commission stressed that it is not in the know of such contract and that the public should disregard such malicious falsehood. The commission unequivocally stated that the document was fake, adding that the purported contract was also a scam. “It does not exist either in the records of the commission nor is any of our officials aware of it,” the commission said. The interventionist commission, having studied the purported document, stated that the contract awards in N...

2023: Nigeria Ranks Low, As IMF Names Countries With Highest Debt

The 2023 World Economic Outlook of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has named the countries with highest debt – Sudan 256 per cent, Japan 255 percent, and Greece 168 percent. According to the October index posted by Statisence X handle, while Nigeria has 39 percent, and China 83 percent, the U. S. has 123 percent and United Kingdom 104 percent. The above data shows that Argentina tops the list of 12 highest IMF debt burden with $44,433,379; followed by Egypt at $12, 521, 322,333; Ukraine $11,588,182,405; and China $9, 674,159, 560. Also on the list are, Pakistan $7,969,383, 344; Russia $7, 850, 147, 849; India $5,606,170, 345; Brazil $3, 995, 905, 562; Mexico $3,946, 241,133; Venezuela $3,534, 993, 686; Indonesia $2, 741, 057, 642; and South Africa $2,471, 131, 618. However, as of March 2023, Argentina led 10 countries with the highest debt burden, hitting $46billion; Egypt $18billion; Ukraine $12.2billion; Ecuador $8.2billion; Pakistan $7.4billion; Colombia $5billion; Angola $4....

2023 Census: We Won’t Ask Questions On Religion –NPC

2023 Census: We Won’t Ask Questions On Religion –NPC By Editor Ahead of the commencement of the 2023 census, the National Population Commission (NPC) on Wednesday said it will not ask questions on religious affiliation. In a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya, the commission said the decision to exclude religion along with ethnicity from the census questionnaire was taken in consideration of the sensitive nature of these issues within the Nigerian polity. He also stated that the need to save the census data from needless controversies and attention will compel the NPC to avoid questions bordering on religion. “For the avoidance of doubt, the commission wishes to state unequivocally that the 2023 Population and Housing Census will not canvass questions on religion and religious affiliations of respondents.” This comes amid a viral WhatsApp audio claiming that the religious affiliation of a person will be canvassed. The exercise is schedule...

Nelly's SmartBriefs

Search This Blog