Some Federal Ministries and Agencies of the Nigerian Government have failed to appear before the Senate Public Accounts Committee.
The Agencies included, Federal Ministry of Finance, the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, Ministry of Defence and three others.
At the Senate Public Accounts Committee’s hearing on Tuesday, on the Releases of Fund from the Service Wide Vote the Office of AGF
between 2017 and 2021, the Chairman noted that out of the seven Agencies scheduled to appear before the Committee, only the Public Complaints Commission showed up.
However, the Committee rescheduled the appearance of the PCC to Tuesday, 1st
November, to enable the Commission respond according to the letter of invitation sent to it by the Committee.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide expressed “the
displeasure of the Committee at the refusal of other Agencies scheduled to appear before it alongside the PCC even after receiving the Committee’s invitation.”
He wondered why Agencies would receive funds and refuse to account for it.
The Committee unanimously agreed to invoke further legislative actions on Agencies
who have refused to appear before the Committee to give account of the fund
they received from the Service Wide Vote.
The Agencies as listed by the Chairman included: The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ministry of Defence, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Nigerian Air force, who cumulatively
received billions of Naira.
He however, stated that “the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government and the State House had written the Committee requesting for the rescheduling of the date of their appearance.”
Other concerned agencies according to Senator Matthew Urhoghide which also refused to appear before the Committee at its Hearing on the 12th and 13th October, 2022 were; the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Budget Office of the Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Military Pensions Board, NEMA, NEITI.
The Acting Accountant-General had on Wednesday, 12th October, appeared
before the Committee on the Releases from the Fund from 2017 to 2021.
He had stated that the Office had disbursed the sum of Four Trillion, Nine Hundred and
Forty-two Billion, Six Hundred and Sixty-seven Million, Seven Hundred and
Forty-seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventy-four Naira, Ninety-four Kobo
(N4,942,667,747,674.94).