A three-year duplication of annual budget figures by the National Universities Commission, NUC, has been discovered by the House of Representatives.
According to the house ad hoc committee “On the need to investigate capital projects executed and funds repeated in appropriation acts by ministries departments and agencies”, there has been constant multi-million naira contract repetition for the years reviewed.
While declaring the committee’s public hearing open, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, lamented the absence of key government agencies at the hearing.
The Speaker who was represented at the hearing by the House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, warned indicted government agencies to be prepared to open their accounts for scrutiny and accountability or be sanctioned.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Abubakar Makki Yalleman stressed that he expected permanent secretaries of government agencies and their directors of procurement not to have turned down their invitation to the inquest.
He however assured that their absence, notwithstanding, the committee will be thorough and conclusive in its task to get erring agencies account to the people.
Meanwhile, Director of Finance and Administration of NUC, Sam Onazi who appeared for the commission, could not offer satisfactory explanation to the lawmakers as the bulky documents he tendered did not detail the award of contracts from 2017 to date.
The panel therefore, issued him a 7-day ultimatum to go through its records and resubmit a detailed report to the committee, before the conclusion of its assignment.
