Reps query ministry for spending N4bn on recruitment of 100 staff

The House of Representatives has queried the Ministry of Water Resources for spending N4 billion on the recruitment of 100 personnel for a period of three months.

The money was said earmarked for a project known as Youth Engagement for Sanitation (YES) across the 774 local government areas in the country.

The Chairman of House Committee on Public Account, Bamidele Salam, issued the query at the ongoing investigation of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020–2022.

He also queried the ministry for reportedly sinking a borehole for between N12.5 million and N25 million.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, told the committee that the boreholes were sunk in some locations across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

READ ALSO: Reps begin probe into alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 funds

She said: “In total, 299 new water schemes were embarked upon during the period, just as a total of 188 old and abandoned solar boreholes were resuscitated during the period.”

The permanent secretary said the states received N10 million naira each in intervention items.

Salam, however, said the committee would embark on project verification, adding that it would not be limited to the ministry but to other MDAs who claimed to have done one project or another.

“The Committee will need to go and see exactly what is on the ground so that we can have value for money,” the chairman added.

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