Reps grill 15 CEOs of MDAs over multi-billion naira extra budgetary spending
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts (PAC), on Tuesday queried the Chief Executive Officers of 15 Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs) over what it described as extra-budgetary expenditure running into several billions of naira contrary to financial regulations.
Chairman of the House Committee, Hon. Oluwole Oke, and other lawmakers grilled the CEOs of the agencies at an investigative hearing on the audit query report of the Auditor-General of the Federation to the committee.
He said the queries to the agencies were from the Auditor-General’s report on the financial statements issued by the office of the Accountant-General to the agencies pursuant to section 85 of the 1999 Constitution.
He further hinted that most of the agencies being investigated by the Committee were summoned by it to shed light on the alleged extra-budgetary spending as contained in the queries.
According to Hon Oke, “this Committee is not out to witch hunt anybody or organization but to ensure prudency and accountability of the public money put in care of their Chief Executives, either serving or retired.”
Some notable agencies that made appearances or sent representation before the committee include the Surveyors Registration Council of Nigeria (SURCON) Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Insurance Scheme.
The Committee Chairman in a remark said that the agencies these agencies were involved in extra-budgetary expenditure running into several billions of Naira through their overhead budgets.
Before discharging the agencies, the Committee resolved to set some sub-committees to work with the agencies to resolves all the queries at stake and we’ll resolved to pay oversight visit to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
