A warning was issued by Matthew
Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) on Thursday after the absence of all six MDA heads invited
for an investigative hearing on the audit queries issued by the office of the
auditor-general.
Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) on Thursday after the absence of all six MDA heads invited
for an investigative hearing on the audit queries issued by the office of the
auditor-general.
The committee chairman has said that henceforth,
heads of MDAs who fail to honour the invitation of the Senate public accounts
committee will be compelled to do so through issuance of warrants of arrest
against them.
heads of MDAs who fail to honour the invitation of the Senate public accounts
committee will be compelled to do so through issuance of warrants of arrest
against them.
Culpable for this, Mr Urhoghide said,
are the ministers for information, petroleum resources, power, women Affairs,
solid minerals and the head of the National Population Commission (NPC).
are the ministers for information, petroleum resources, power, women Affairs,
solid minerals and the head of the National Population Commission (NPC).
Mr Urhoghide said; over a month ago,
we wrote to them to come and answer the audit queries raised against them by
the auditor-general of the federation in its 2015 audit report.
we wrote to them to come and answer the audit queries raised against them by
the auditor-general of the federation in its 2015 audit report.
But they have deliberately and
irresponsibly failed to honour our invitation. Their failure to appear before
this committee amount to outright disobedience to constituted authority.
irresponsibly failed to honour our invitation. Their failure to appear before
this committee amount to outright disobedience to constituted authority.
He noted further that rather than
coming, the ministers and heads of the affected agencies gave different reasons
which are absurd, untenable and not serving any public interest for their
nonappearance at the investigative hearing.
coming, the ministers and heads of the affected agencies gave different reasons
which are absurd, untenable and not serving any public interest for their
nonappearance at the investigative hearing.
For example, while the ministry of
information gave flimsy excuse of contractors who handled 2015 projects not
being around, other ministries like power, women affairs said they are seeing
the copies of the queries for the first time,” Mr Urhoghide explained.
information gave flimsy excuse of contractors who handled 2015 projects not
being around, other ministries like power, women affairs said they are seeing
the copies of the queries for the first time,” Mr Urhoghide explained.
This, he said, is wont among public
officers in the country and is blight on public accountability which they
should uphold. Ministers that even supposed to come ran away. We won’t tolerate
this any longer, because the infractions observed in the accounts of their
various ministries run into billions of naira.
officers in the country and is blight on public accountability which they
should uphold. Ministers that even supposed to come ran away. We won’t tolerate
this any longer, because the infractions observed in the accounts of their
various ministries run into billions of naira.
They will surely be compelled to
appear before this committee through issuance of warrants of arrest against
them when next they fail our invitation in line with section 89 of the constitution,
the lawmaker said.
appear before this committee through issuance of warrants of arrest against
them when next they fail our invitation in line with section 89 of the constitution,
the lawmaker said.
Mr Urhoghide said the nonappearance of
the agency heads is undermining the efficiency of the National Assembly and one
of “the reasons Nigerians often accuse them of not discharging its duties.
the agency heads is undermining the efficiency of the National Assembly and one
of “the reasons Nigerians often accuse them of not discharging its duties.
It is only in Nigeria that people will
spend government’s money and fail to show up to defend their expenditure, he
said.
spend government’s money and fail to show up to defend their expenditure, he
said.
Also at the hearing were the
auditor-general, Anthony Ayine, Ibrahim Hadeija (APC, Jigawa), Yusuf Yusuf
(APC, Taraba) among others.
auditor-general, Anthony Ayine, Ibrahim Hadeija (APC, Jigawa), Yusuf Yusuf
(APC, Taraba) among others.
They pitched their tents with the
committee chairman in their respective remarks that a warrant of arrest should
be given against ministers and heads of agencies that ignore their invitations
when they are invited next.
committee chairman in their respective remarks that a warrant of arrest should
be given against ministers and heads of agencies that ignore their invitations
when they are invited next.
