Lawmakers in the Federal House of Representatives on Wednesday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, to submit a detailed report on the use of the N100 billion COVID-19 intervention funds approved and released by the government of Muhammadu Buhari to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies between 2020 and 2022.
Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam, who issued the notice in Abuja, expressed dismay at the AGF’s refusal to comply with the resolution of the Committee to submit the report on October 27, 2023.
He noted that the House had mandated the Committee to investigate the “expenditure incurred under the COVID-19 interventions especially in the year 2020 and up to 2022.”
He continues, “A letter was written to the Accountant General to furnish the committee with details of all releases pursuant to the provisions of the Appropriation Act as well as other interventions captured by the released from Central Bank of Nigeria to different Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government.
“That letter, I was duly informed, showed that submission is expected on or before October 27, 2023.
“As we speak, that input has not been received from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
“That is a very important document that will guide our proceedings on the investigation the house mandated us to carry out within a timeframe.
“So, we are sending you (Deputy Director in the Office of the AGF) now to go back home and let the Accountant General know that she has defaulted at the request of the committee. We said on or before 27th that if there are any objective reasons why she couldn’t meet up with that date, she should communicate to this committee to ask for the extension of time.”
Consequently, he directed the AGF to transmit the report before the close of work on Friday, November 3, 2023.
The House resolution was passed following the adoption of a motion on the ‘Alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2022′, approved by the Federal Government for various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) between 2020 and 2022.
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