Audit query: Reps C’ttee rejects Investment Commission’s submission

.’Supporting documents not authenticated’

 .To summon minister  for illegal expenditure

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The Public Account Committee, PAC  of the House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected the submission of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC on the  Audit  queries from the office of the  Auditor General of the Feederation on Non-Rediton Audited financial statement for the period covering 2020- 21 financial years.

The Committee being chaired by Hon Busayo   Woke Oke (PDP- Osun) while rejecting  the submission said that the supporting documents were not signed or authenticated by any authority which made the submission invalid in  the eyes of the law..

Consequently, the Committee stepped down all its queries and directed its new  Executive Secretary, Mrs Saratu Umàr to go back with the Submission to enable her to familiarize  herself with it and come back to defend it by next week Wednesday

The  Director of Finance of the Commission, Mr  Mr Akwada James had stunned the Committee members while defending the submission as he said that he was at loss while preparing the submission and that he did know how  to explain the  item by item in the queries as demanded by the Committee.

At this stage , committee members one after the other pointed out several flaws in the submission which they said looked like a forged document that would not stand the text of time before the law.

Speaking, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Oke said,” Madam Executive Secretary, agreed that you just came to the office but it today, one of the debtors of the Commission shows up to pay a debit of one billion naira, are you going to take the money as the Chief executive officer of the commission or not?”

The NIPC boss answered Yes, affirmatively  that she would be glad to receive the payment promptly

In his response, the Chairman of the Committee then replied, ” good, if your answer is yes, this Committee will allow you to go back and go through your submission, familiarize yourself with the contents and the relevant supporting documents and come back to defend same before this Committee, we are practicing the principle of fair hearing here,  we are not here to ambush or harass individual or organization”

The Committee also faulted the claim of the Commission that its supervisory Minister gave it approval to spend its over N1billion Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, describing as illegal and unacceptable