Nigeria: Senate Asks AG to Account for Fund Flows

Source from:  Leadership (Abuja) 7 October 2008 10/08/2008

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has directed the Auditor-General of the Federation to present to it an audited report of all in- flows of funds and what the various government organisations have spent so far. The committee would today commence the probe of the various state chapters of the Universal Basic Education (UBEC), to ascertain whether or not monies made available for the programme were judiciously used. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmed Lawal, told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the directive to the auditor-general was to ensure proper accounting system. According to him: "Presently, we have been looking into the books of all the States Universal Basic Education Committees." "We have also requested the auditor general of the federation to audit the federation account because we want to see all the inflow of funds or resources to the various organisations, be it customs, immigrations and how the monies have gone out. "When he submits his report to us on the inflows and monies that went out of the federation accounts, then we will be able to know how much the customs got in 2000, for example, and how much was given to them, how much the NNPC got, how much is the sum total of monies into the federation accounts, how much was disbursed, how much each organisation got. "The moment we are able to get this report from the Auditor General, we can now move ahead with our investigations." He continued: "Presently, we are going to investigate the UBE across the states and the Federal Capital Territory, and we intend to travel to the states to see what they have done with the funds. "We also want to see some of the projects they have done. We will do more. We are looking at NEMA, FERMA and so many others. "By the time we have these audited accounts, they will give us an opportunity to see whether NEMA, which collected a lot of monies from the ecological funds has used the monies judiciously. "We want to know how much has come in and how much they have expended and how effective and well it has worked", he said. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives will resume plenary today as it has concluded arrangements to consider the report on the controversial sale of Ajaokuta Steel Company to Global Infrastructure Holding Nigeria Limited. Speaker Dimeji Bankole is also expected to make public members of the reconstituted standing committees of the House. The House Notice Paper released by the Business and Rules Committee Monday, October 6 to Friday, October 10, 2008, indicated that the following bills would be deliberated upon in the first week of resumption: A bill to establish the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission and a bill to repeal the Centre for Automative Design and Development Act, the National Automative Council Act and to provide for the establishment of the National Automative Design and Development Council. Others are a bill for an Act to repeal the Nigerian Accounting Standards Board Act and enact the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act; a bill for an Act to provide for the development of the Nigeria Content in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry; for Nigerian Content plan; for supervision, Coordination, monitoring and implementation of Nigerian Content, among others. Also listed on the paper is a motion for the adoption of conference report on a bill for an Act to amend the 2008 Appropriation Act as well as a report on a bill for an Act to provide for the regulation, production, importation, advertising, promotion, sponsorship, distributorship, sale and smoking of cigarettes and other tobacco products and to repeal the existing Act. The report on the sale of the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State to Global Infrastructure (Nig) Ltd is listed for deliberation on Thursday, alongside the presentation of report on the investigation into the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE's) Concessioning of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex. The submission and deliberation of the reports of the various House Committees that probed some sectors are expected to also be high of this week's agenda though they were not listed as the Speaker had said, that before the recess the House would proceed to treat all pending reports by various committees of the House when it resumed. Some of the reports are that of the John Enoh-led Finance Committee that investigated the non-remittance of revenue into the federation account by some government agencies; the Ethics and Privileges Committee report on the N100million bribe allegation against the Power Committee, while the report of the Elumelu-led House Committee on Power and Steel is expected to be presented after that. The NNPC probe into the oil sector, which had been slowed down by the House's recess will resume as the House reconvenes. The investigation had begun before the lawmakers proceeded on recess and the Abdul Ningi- led Niger Delta Committee is likely to also be inaugurated by the Speaker when activities begin today. The resumption is also expected to trigger off preparations for the legislators' retreat. Enditem