The House of Representatives has summoned the leadership of six government agencies, including the Nigeria Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT), Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to address a significant N20.853 billion audit query.
The other agencies summoned to appear before the House are the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the Federal University of Petroleum Studies in Effurum, Delta State.
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC), led by Rep. Bamidele Salam, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum for these six agencies to appear before it.
The audit queries, which sum up to N20.853 billion, were raised against these government entities by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Salam said that the 72-hour ultimatum issued by the committee followed the agencies’ absence during a committee sitting aimed at addressing the audit queries levelled against them by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Final notice of invitation
He also gave a stern warning to the summoned agencies stating that this invitation was the final notice before a warrant of arrest could be issued against the leadership of these agencies.
Salem, however, noted that only the Rural Electrification Agency sent letters to the committee requesting that the Chief Executive Officer be excused from attending the hearing.
The investigation by the committee involved the scrutiny of cash advances and the proper allocation of funds budgeted by the House for some of these agencies.
- “We are going to use our constitutional power to ensure that every kobo spent by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is prudently utilized,” Salam declared.
The members Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had previously expressed their displeasure with the way heads of some government agencies fail to honour parliamentary invitations and called for appropriate sanctions.