NDLEA Fails to Defend unapproved spending of  N356 million as Senate orders Refund 

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has failed to justify expenditure of N356 million before the Senate Public Accounts Committee Chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide.

The Committee had invited NDLEA over alleged unapproved spending and failure to account for advances granted to some of its officials .

The Senate Panel hinged the Investigation on the 2016 Auditor General’s report which is currently under consideration before the Senate Panel .

At the resumption of the hearing , the Chairman of the Committee sustained Auditor General’s queriea on alleged spending of N43 million on revocation and purchase of operational vehicles without approval, failure to refund N42 million cash advances, N12 million spent on renovation of Jigawa office without approval  and purchase of N90M million operational vehicles without approval from Ministerial Tender Board.

The Panel also gave the NDLEA 24 hours to justify spending of N169 million as security votes which they fail to provide as at the time of filling this report.

Spirited efforts of the representative of Director General of NDLEA, Abdullahi Shittu r was not acceptable before the Committee as the Senator Urhoghide ordered refund on the money spent without Appropriations.

Urhoghide, ” We will sustain the query of Auditor General’s report against your agencies and the money spent illegally should be refunded .”

The query reads, “A  sum  of  N169,336,264.36  (One  hundred  and  sixty-nine  million,  three  hundred and  thirty-six  thousand,  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  naira,  thirty-six  kobo)  was  spent  on Security  Votes  in  2015.  Further  examination  of  the  Agency‟s  Budget  for  that  year, revealed that  there was no appropriation for Security Vote  by the National Assembly.   The  Chairman/Chief  Executive  should  produce  the  authority  for  this  expenditure or recover  the sum  of  N169,336,264.36  and  forward  relevant  details for verification .

“Contract  for  the  supply  of  7  (seven)  operational  vehicles  for  a  sum  of N90,772,500.00  (Ninety  million,  seven  hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand,  five  hundred naira)  was  awarded  without  approval  from  the  Ministerial  Tender‟s  Board.  This contravened  Section  16(2)  of  the  Procurement  Act  of  2007  which  states  that  “No  fund shall  be  disbursed  from  Treasury  or  Federation  Account  or  bank  account  of  the procuring  entity  for  any  procurement  falling  above  the  set  thresholds  unless  the cheques,  or  other  form  of  request  for  payments  is  accompanied  by  „No  objection Certificate‟  to  an  award  of  contract  duly  signed  by  the  Bureau.

“The  sum  of  N43,228,750.00  (Forty-three  million,  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight thousand,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  naira)  was  spent  on  renovation  and  purchase  of  5 (five)  operational  vehicles  in  Nasarawa  State  Command  in  2015.  A  scrutiny  of  the Appropriation  Act  revealed  that  the  amounts  spent  were  not  appropriated  for  by  the National Assembly. The  Chairman/Chief  Executive,  having  failed  to  produce  the  authority  for  this expenditure,  should  recover  the  sum  of  N43,228,750.00  and  furnish  relevant  particulars for  verification.

” A sum  of  N42,603,261.94 (Forty-two million,  six hundred  and  three  thousand,  two hundred  and  sixty-one  naira,  ninety-four  kobo)  granted  as  cash  advances  three  years ago,  to    9  (nine)  officers  of  the  Agency,  were  not  retired,  contrary  to  Financial Regulations.

“The  Agency  over  spent  Capital  expenditures  in  2015  by  N12,986,372.00  (Twelve million,  nine  hundred  and  eighty-six  thousand,  three  hundred  and  seventy-two  naira)  on the  renovation  of  Jigawa  State  Command  .”