Furnish us with details of approval ,expenditure of N512 M in your 2018 budget Reps tell Finance Ministry

JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has asked the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to account for N512 Million expended by the ministry in the 2018 budget of the office

The House Committee Chairman Hon.Oluwole Oke gave the directive to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mrs Suzette Taylor Lee Chee and other officials of the Ministry when they appeared before the House Committee to answer queries on the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Audit Report of the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

Oke who was unsettled with the huge amount of funds allegedly siphoned in the financial statement of the Ministry in the audit report had demanded that the public officials in charge of the funds account for it without delay.

The lawmaker who alongside other committee members had grilled the Ministry’s accounting officer said that the office should provide the records of what the officials did with the money.

He said: “Ma we are looking for N512 million. Taking into consideration our letter to the ministry’s submission, our resolve is as follows:

(i) Provide the records of what you did with the funds.

(ii) Give us the President’s approval of the expended funds”.

The Osun State born Peoples’ Democratic  Party PDP lawmaker further documents relating to another N550 million used in providing sector laboratories in the document submitted to the Committee.

The Committee helmsman also uncovered another N37.7 million extra-budgetary expenditure in the budget document submitted by the ministry to the panel.

Responding to some of the issues raised in the audit report, the Permanent Secretary told the committee that she was not privy to the transactions done by the ministry on the budget as she only resumed as Permanent Secretary in December 2019.

She however told the House Committee that the ministry collected N300 million,N150 million and another N320 million at different times from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

The Committee Chairman Hon.Oke while ruling on the matter and hitting the House symbol of authority- the gavel demanded that the official provide the committee all the requested documents  without delay.

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