HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INSIST ON SUBMISSION OF PROPER DOCUMENTS OR REFUND OF N75B BY MINISTRY 13-02-24
By Sadiq Aminu The Public Accounts Committee, PAC of the House of Representatives has expressed dismay over the insufficient and inadequate documents submitted before it by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments over the alleged mismanagement of N75 billion allocated to it as COVID-19 Intervention funds by the Federal Government.
The Committee expressed the displeasure when the incumbent Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi appeared before the Committee
At the resumed hearing of the exercise in Abuja, the Chairman of the Committee Mr. Bamidele Salam said that the submission of the Ministry on the expenditure of the N75 billions is a worthless piece of document which doesn’t say anything
The Committee at its last sitting had ordered the Ministry, its immediate past and the incumbent Permanent Secretaries to jointly refund the sum of N75 billion allocated to it as COVID-19 intervention funds after the refusal of officials of the ministry to appear before the Committee to defend the expendables.
However, when the incumbent Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, appeared before the Committee, he said that he only assumed office at the Ministry on the 21st of January this year
He apologized for the failure of the ministry to appear before the Constitutional Committee three consecutive times to defend the expendables as requested.
But the Committee in a unanimous resolution directed the Ministry to resubmit a complete document within seven working days and ordered that the Managing Director of Bank Of Industry should be available in person on the next hearing date for the defence of the query.
The Public Account Committee Chaired by Mr. Bamidele Salam is currently probing Ministries Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of the Federal Government over the alleged massive mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds.