Nine months in the saddle as Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Architect Amos Ojo, on Tuesday (April 20) convened the first meeting of the National Assembly, NASS, Tenders Board to ratify all his anticipatory financial approvals.
The Board had not met since the CNA stepped in the saddle in July, last year, causing muttering by workers in the National Assembly.
The Conclave learnt that the CNA had, before the meeting on Tuesday, committed a series of infractions of the extant financial regulations by expending the funds of NASS management through anticipatory approvals.
A source close to the development said the actions of the CNA contravened the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
In fact, part VIII, Section 38 (a and b) of the Act deals with contract compliance with rules and guidelines on procurement and award of contracts, due process and certification of contracts, while Section 39 deals with the effects of violation of public expenditure rules in Sections 36, 37 and 38 ( as constituting an offence).
According to the source, “Anticipatory approvals are only permissible in the event of security emergencies or natural disasters.
“The act prescribes a jail term (five years) for anyone who violates the provision on anticipatory approvals.”
Some staff members had wondered why an institution that makes a law would violate the same law.
They had also expressed concerns over the failure by management to convene any meeting of its Tender’s Board in about nine months whereas financial transactions and expenditure that required the Board’s approvals were being made by the CNA.
For instance, a staff member said there was nothing urgent in the purchase of vehicles for Permanent Secretaries and other issues that the CNA had expended so much on with anticipatory approvals against the relevant provision of the Fiscal Responsibility Act that could not have waited to benefit from requisite Board approvals.
“There was no emergency in the last nine months in the National Assembly that made it difficult for the Tender’s Board to meet. No.incident necessitated spendings without going through the Tendering processes for the jobs,” a source stated.
It was learnt that some companies were awarded cleaning jobs in the last two to three weeks without going through the tender process.
The source said “Today’s (Tuesday) meeting was only convened to cure the mishief in the anticipatory approvals the CNA had given in the last eight to nine months of occupying the office.”
He said as the Permanent Secretary in charge of Estate and Works before he was elevated to the position.of CNA, he should know better than anyone else the consequences of anticipatory approvals, which is not convening a Tender’s board meeting to ratify proposed expenditures before embarking on such expenditures.
According to the source, as Permanent Secretary, Estate and Works, he also superintended over the Procurement Department.
Most jobs then were presented to the board for approvals, the source stated, pointing out that the CNA should be the one most concerned about convening Tender’s Board meetings to approve financial expenditures that require approvals by the Board.
The Tenders Board comprises the CNA, the 13 Permanent Secretaries and some Directors in charge of key mandate areas.
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