News
Reps’ panel summons Emefiele, Pantami, Nami others over N300bn spending
A House of Representatives investigative panel Tuesday invited central bank’s chief, Godwin Emefiele; Communications and Digital Economy Minister, Isa Pantami; Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman, Muhammad Nami and a posse of other top government officials to clarify spendings adding up to N300 billion, following the issuance of audit queries by the Auditor General of the Federation’s office.
Among the dignitaries summoned by the public accounts committee of the Nigerian parliament’s lower chamber are National Pension Commission’s Director General, Aishar Dahir-Umar; Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan and the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.
The committee’s chair, Wole Oke, issued the summons to a number of Nigerian government’s ministries, department and agencies at an investigative hearing on a series of audit queries by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation on ‘cash withheld’ summing up to N182.08 billion in 2014.
Read also: Reps summon Amaechi, two other ministers over rail projects
There are also audit queries directed to the FIRS for an expenditure of N14.06 billion, to the Head of Service Pension Office for N12.64 billion and to Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Defence, National Gallery of Arts and Nigerian Board for Incubator Centre.
Also requested for questioning by the investigative panel were Federal Road Safety Commission, National Sports Commission, Federal Ministry of Defence, Accident Investigation Bureau among others in respect of undocumented loans worth N425.127 million.
The Account General of the Federation is expected to appear before the panel to answer 83 queries in its 2014 annual audit report.
The investigative panel, nevertheless, halted the queries, ordering the Central Bank of Nigeria instead to present the certificate reflecting the balance of the account at the end of December 2014 in conformity to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.
Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity is to defend the sum of N7.88 billion unaccounted fund as stated in the audit query.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...