House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Fund has invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to be part of its ongoing probe.
The committee said the EFCC is expected to attend all its investigative hearing, in the ongoing probe on the utilisation of ecological funds by states, local governments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) beginning from next adjourned date until the conclusion of the investigation.
Chairman of the committee, Isiaka Ibrahim, who announced this, at an investigative hearing organised by the committee, yesterday, expressed dismay that many of the MDAs have continued to shun invitation of the panel.
Ibrahim, while noting that it is imperative to prove to the MDAs that the investigation was a serious business, said anyone who has received the ecological fund must account for the expenditure.
“By our next adjourned date, those that we have invited that have not shown up, by the mandate and by resolution taken by the committee, the EFCC should be part of us in our next adjourned date to take note of our proceedings and we are just placing them on notice. We are going to write them formally. And this is pending when we are going to submit our report on the floor of the house for further legislative actions.”
The lawmaker added that while the Ministry of Health received N20 billion from the ecological fund, it has failed to appear before the committee to explain how the fund was expended. Furthermore, he said the ministry of works, which received between N10 to N15 billion from the ecological fund, claimed to have spent it on the East-West Road.
“Ministry of Health collected about N20 billion. They refused to come and defend what they spent it on. Ministry of works collected about N10 to N15 billion and they said they spent it on East-West Road, that has a separate budget.
Nigeria Hydrological Service agency is not even by law supposed to be drawing money from the ecological funds. And they said the money given to them was a loan. We have said they should come let us see how they are going to repay that money into the ecological Fund. The Federal Road Maintenance Agency neither responded or cause appearance on about N 2 billion they claimed to have used to repair a road in Edo State,” Ibrahim stated.
