Senate Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday gave 48 hours Ultimatum to the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance to provide sensitive documents related to disbursement of Service Wide Votes and missing N113 million on salary adjustment for Joint Admission Board Matriculation (JAMB) or risk warrant if arrest by next week.
It was learnt that the Committee chaired Senator Mathew Urhoghide had written a letter of appearance to the Ministry on 20th of October, 2022 and the letter was received on 21 October, 2022 by the Ministry to also give details of released to all MDAs including Police and Armed Forces.
Also, another letter was written to the Ministry on December 8, 2022, on the issue concerning missing N113 million of salary augmentation for Joint Admission Matriculation Board.
While the record from the office of Accountant General of the Federation, (AGF) revealed that the N113 million was released to JAMB in May 2017 for salary augmentation.
In the invitation letter written to the Ministry of Finance , The Ministry was invited to make clarification on the matter at stake at the Committee’s room on Tuesday which the the Ministry officials failed to honor .
The representative of JAMB, Director of Finance and Account, M. Bello claimed that the N113 million was not released to them arguing that if the money was released it will cut across the whole year.
According to the Director of Finance , it will cut across all MDAs using CONLESS, if there is a shortfall in May, it will spread to the whole year.
Irked by the absence of the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Finance, Senator Urhoghide gave the Permanent Secretary 48 hours to appear and provide the relevant documents to the Committee or face warrant of arrest by next week.
According to him, they have to appear before the Committee by Thursday this week , since JAMB has denied knowledge of that release , we want to interface with them in your presence ( Cash Management Office has to come before this Committee) this payment was used to clear salary adjustment of 2017.
He added that failure of the Ministry Permanent Secretary to appear on Thursday will lead to warrant of arrest by next week.
Meanwhile, Senate on Tuesday embarked on legislation whittle down President’s Power to remove Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), without Lawmakers’ nod .
The move to Whittle down President unileteral power to sack Anti-graft agency boss is embedded in the proposed bill sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi which scaled into second reading in the Red Chamber.
The bill seeks to ensure that the appointment and removal of the EFCC’s chairman are subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
It also meant to amend the commission’s establishment Act to restrict non-EFCC staff from heading the anti-agency.
In his debate , Utazi, said the proposed amendment was to bring EFCC in conformity with other anti-graft agencies by guaranteeing security of tenure for the commission’s chairman.
He said, “For other anti-graft agencies created through the legislative instrumentality, before and later, that is, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the National Assembly ensured that the headship had security of tenure by ensuring that their appointments and removal, as the case may be, were subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
“That was not the case with the EFCC. Therefore, in this proposed amendment, it is intended to bring the EFCC in conformity with the other two anti-graft agencies of government. This will engender optimal performance by the Commission of the very important mandate assigned to it.”
Utazi explained the amendment would enhance professionalism in the service of the anti-graft agency.
Utazi said President Muhammadu Buhari’s action to appoint the EFCC chairman from within was commendable and needed to be backed by law to guarantee tenure security.
He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has carved his name and administration in gold by this very singular action, and posterity will never forget him.
“All that is required of this parliament is to endorse this executive action by amending the EFCC Establishment Act to restrict non-trained EFCC staff from headship of the Commission, going forward. This will enhance professionalism in the service of this anti-graft agency.”
The present EFCC Chairman, Abdurasheed Bawa is the first to be appointed as the chairman of the anti-graft agency. Others who had served as the commission’s chiefs were appointed from outside of EFCC.
