The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, on Tuesday, summoned the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Okolieaboh Sylva over the failure of his office to lay the 2020 Audit Reports of Ministries, Department and Agencies, and MDAs of the Federal Government before the National Assembly in line with the Constitution of the landThe Chairman of the Committee, Hon Busayo Oliwole Oke (PDP- Osun) representing Obokun/ Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun State handed down the order in Abuja at the resumed hearing of the Committee on queries raised against MDAs by the office of the Auditor General of the FederationHon Oke while frowning at the development declared that this was affecting the work of the parliament at looking into the financial transactions of the MDAs which would no longer be toleratedAccording to him, “as the 9th Assembly is winding down, we need to redouble our efforts at looking into all the reports already laid before the House, right now we have completed work on those from 2017 and our reports are already in the Press after which were will lay the reports before the whole House for official consideration“This is why we are inviting the Accountant General of the Federation to come before this Committee to tell us while he is yet to lay the 2020 audited regards of the MDAs before the Parliament“We need to listen to him to know where the problem is coming from so that we can wade in to resolve whatever hindrance affecting the presentation“The Minister of Finance had openly stated that the nation’s expenditures supposed its income and the ICPC also confirmed that the 2022 budget was padded by the Executive arm by several billions of Naira, Do we wind the country down? No!, what we need to do is to redouble our efforts at revenue generations as well check the books of the MDAs”The Committee Chairman consequently warned all the heads of the MDAs who have refused to appear before it over audit queries raised against them to retrace their steps and do the needful in their own interest as the Committee would have any other option than either to effect the arrest of the defaulters or for the Committee to relocate its sitting to the premises of such MDAS“We must look for the needed money to finance the 2023 budget to cater for the needs of the entire populaceThis came just as the Committee resolved to write the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emeifele over the N7m belonging to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Abeokuta said to hang in the bankThis followed the submission of the Chief Medical of the Centre, Prof Adewale Musa- Olomu the nation’s Apex bank had denied the institution access to the money 9ver a year now and that all efforts to retrieve it had proved abortiveHon Oke assured that the community would assist the Centre to recover the money from the CBN for enhancing its operations. ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Source: Nigerian Tribune September 21, 2022 05:30 UTC