Reps committee probes MDAs over N600bn extra-bugetary expenditures, orders Accountant General to provide list of culprits

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) on Tuesday began a full-scale probe into how 115 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government incurred over N600billion extra-budgetary expenditures said to have been expended on salary and wages as contained in the audit quries raised by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation from 2018 till date.

Addressing the opening session of the investigative hearing attended by a team from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, led by the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Sylva Okolieaboh, the Committee frowned at the defence that some of the expenditures were incurred based on existing circulars and directives.

The Committee is chaired by Hon Busayo Oluwole Oke (PDP-Osun).

The audit query reads, “Audit observed that 203 MDAs exceeded their personnel cost budget by N641,757455,172. 01, while 115 MDAs had zero personnel cost even though there was budgetary allocation for them. The sources of extra funds for salaries and wages in 103 were not disclosed. Also, the reasons for zero personnel budget allocation for the 115 MDAs were not stated despite the fact that the MDAs under defence had annual budgets approved for them.”

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It advised that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation should investigate the sources of the extra budgetary expenditures and reasons for non compliance with down financial regulations

The Committee recommended that failure to justify sources and reasons for the expenditures, “the expenditures totalling N641.75bn, the officers in charge should be held pecuniary responsible”

According to the the Chairman, “this is an abberation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, clear rape of financial regulation and public procurement act, nobody has the power to appropriate any money to any MDAs except the National Assembly through the budget from the Mr President, before the passage of Mr President’s appropriation bill, it has to pass through stages and after the passage, it has to be returned to the Mr President for his ascent

“But we have discovered a situation where some ministers and heads of MDAs are found of appropriating funds and approving several millions of naira for spending without such coming to the parliament but relling on circulars and directives, this is illegal and we are going to stop it.

Consequently, the Chairman directed the Accountant General of the Federation to make available the list of 115 MDAs involved in the suspicious spendings to the Committee by Wednesday morning when the investigation would continue

Hon. Oke said that in the spirit of fear hearing, the culprits MDAs would be summoned to come and explained their own side of the case as claimed in the audit eeport.

Earlier, the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Sylva Okolieaboh, had expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for extending hand of fellowship to his office since he assumed office and pledged that all invitations from the parliament would receive prompt responses from his office.