Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has flayed officials of the Ministry of Industry over their inability to explain how they expended over N75 billion in COVID-19 intervention funds.
The committee, chaired by Mr Bamidele Salam, expressed dismay over the inadequate documents submitted by the ministry officials on how the allocated money was expended. Salam described the submissions as “a worthless piece of document, which doesn’t say anything.”
The committee had at its last sitting ordered the ministry, its immediate past, and the incumbent permanent secretaries to jointly refund the sum of N75 billion allocated to it as COVID-19 intervention funds after the refusal of officials of the ministry to appear before the committee.
However, when the current Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Nura Abba Rimi, appeared before the committee, yesterday, he said he only assumed office at the ministry on January 21 this year.
He apologised for the failure of the ministry to appear before the committee three consecutive times to defend the expenditure. At this point, a member of the committee, Bassey Akiba, raised a point of order for entertaining the ministry again after a decision had been taken over its matter and which had not been set aside.
He said: “Let us even look at the issue of whether or not we should listen to the ministry as that for me is very important. I was the mover of the motion that a refund should be made because for me it was a clear case of disregard for the committee and National Assembly, that was why I moved that motion.
“Having given that ministry this number of times to appear and they failed to appear, it shows clearly that the ministry does not have anything to say about the expenditure of the money and that is why I moved that motion and it was duly seconded and the motion was passed by the committee and I am sure that if not because of the break that we had, that the house would’ve considered the position of the committee.
“Honestly, it should be something we need to discuss and consider whether or not we should receive any document or anything.” In response, the chairman of the committee said: “Why I even allowed them to come at all was because at times in this our assignment too, we have to look for a way of balancing interest. When the permanent secretary reached out to me that he told me he was barely a week in office, that was about two weeks ago and that he was hearing the matter for the very first time, even though I know by practice, he inherits all liabilities and assets.
“I thought we should give him the benefit of the doubt, to come here and if he can convince the committee to listen to him, we listen to him. But like the chairman of rules said, by our rule, when a motion has been taken and carried, there has to be a motion for rescinding of such a resolution, it is only when the motion is carried that we can review the decision.”
Consequently, the lawmakers unanimously resolved to allow the ministry to re-submit a complete document within seven working days and ordered that the Managing Director of Bank of Industry should be available in person on the next hearing date for the defence of the query.
