The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives on Tuesday summoned the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Alhaji Garba Abubakar, for allegations of illegal approval of budgets and extra-budgetory expeditures over the years
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Busayo Oluwole Oke (PDP-.Osun), gave the summons at the beginning of the investigations of over 100 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.
The Auditor General of the Federation had alleged that some MDAs were operating illegal budgets and extra-constitutional expeditures over the years
The Committee accused the heads of the MDAs of undermining the constitutinal power of the President by getting their budgets approved through the back doors.
The committee rejected a team led by Mrs Glory Essien to represent the Commission and insisted that the CAC boss must appear in person with a warning that he would dealt with and use as an example to others should he failed to honour the final summon
Hon Oke wondered why heads of the MDAs would take pleasures in getting allocations from public monies but would not want to give proper accounts of how they utilised such allocations
The CAC boss is being expected to appear before the Committee with the followings: copies of the budgetary estimates the Commission presented to the Mr President through the Budget Office of the Federation with respect to the 2015 to 2022 fiscal year, copies of the budget estimates that were presented to the Mr President which in turn were presented to the National Assembly, and confirmation on whether the constitutionally laid down process was complied with prior to expenditures from the internally generated revenue by the Commission with documentary evidence.
The Registrar General is also expected to come with approved budget (both appropiation and IGR 2021 and 2022), amogst others
The Committee also grilled the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof Tanko Ishaya, over similar issue and gave him more time to come back with necessary documents to defend his presentation.
Investigations continue on Wednesday.
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