THE House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has directed the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments to refund N75 billion allocated to it as COVID-19 intervention funds.
The committee also mandated the Federal Ministry of Health to refund the unused N10 billion earmarked for COVID-19 vaccine production to the Federal Government.
The committee gave the directive on Thursday, January 18, following a motion moved by a Labour Party (LP) member, representing Cross River State, Bassey Akiba.
This latest development came after officials from the Trade Ministry failed to appear at the investigative hearing on Thursday.
The ICIR reports that the committee invited 83 ministries, departments, and agencies to appear before it in November to address the alleged mismanagement of funds designated for combating the global health pandemic.
The lawmakers asked each of the MDAs to be represented by their chief accounting officers, head of finance, head of procurement and any other relevant officer to defend the expenditure contained in their various submissions.”
The investigation stems from the House resolution in October 2023 to investigate the management of the funds following a motion sponsored by Rep. Zakaria Dauda Nyampa (PDP, Adamawa), titled “Investigation of Alleged Mismanagement of Covid-19 Intervention Funds from 2020 to 2022.”
Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi Jr, stated that the investigation had commenced on Wednesday, January 7, 2024, and would end on Friday, January 26, 2024.
According to the statement, the MDAs, which are now 53, were grouped into eight.
However, at the commencement of the sitting on Thursday, Akiba moved the motion to compel the Trade Ministry to refund the monies appropriated to it.
The committee approved the motion, after it was seconded and ordered the ministry to return the funds to the Federal Government’s treasury.
In his earlier remark, the committee chairman, Bamidele Salam, expressed frustration over the ministry’s continuous absence despite several invitations extended to its officials.
“The Federal Ministry of Trade, Industries and Investments got the sum of N75 billion as COVID-19 Intervention funds. The Public Account Committee has sent invitations to the Ministry of Trade Industries and Investments three times, and none of the invitations was honoured.
“The Federal Ministry of Trade was to make their appearance yesterday (Wednesday). That was the last opportunity given to them, and there was no such appearance. N75 billion naira was appropriated to them.
“Former Permanent Secretary and the current Permanent Secretary are affected by this motion to refund the sum of N75 billion back to the Federal Government as COVID-19 intervention funds which, as far as we are concerned, has not been expended,” he lamented.
The committee further directed the Federal Ministry of Health to return the unutilized N10 billion earmarked for COVID-19 vaccine production to the Federal Government.
The Health Ministry, which was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachallom, informed the committee that the funds were domiciled with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
The committee, nevertheless, instructed that the money be returned to the government’s coffers.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M