The House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to investigate ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government that are diverting budget releases to other purposes.
The Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, alleged that MDAs often deny receiving funds after the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have announced releases to them.
The House mandated all standing committees to “investigate agencies they supervise and identify lapses if any.”
The Committees on Finance and Appropriations were also mandated to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning “for the purposes of ascertaining releases made to ministries, departments and agencies in compliance with the 2021 Appropriation Act.”
The lawmakers also resolved that all the committees should conclude their assignments within two weeks.
Elumelu had moved a motion on a “matter of urgent national importance,” which the lawmakers unanimously adopted.
It was titled ‘Incessant Abuse and Disregard of the 2021 Appropriation Act By Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government.’
Elumelu noted that the MDAs were the channels responsible for the delivery of government policies.
According to him, complying with the constitutional requirements on spending of public funds will ensure effective and efficient management of public resources, and put the country’s wealth and resources to work for the common good of all Nigerians.
Elumelu, however, said the House was “concerned that though between 40 and 60 per cent of funds have been released for the purposes of implementing the 2021 Appropriation Act, most of the MDAs are yet to dispense these funds for the purposes meant for.”
The lawmaker added, “The House is further concerned that some of the MDAs are alleged to have engaged in financial misappropriation by diverting such funds for other unrelated purposes, thereby frustrating government macro-economic framework, while others are in outright denial of not receiving such releases.”
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, who sought clarification from Elumelu on the motion, said, “I will always qualify my statements by saying if true – if true – then, this is a very serious matter because it is misappropriation, it is diversion of public funds, it is criminal.
“The budget – and I hope all the MDAs are listening to me – of the National Assembly or of the government is a blueprint of what the government seeks to do and its priority areas. If you divert the money to other projects, it is clearly an economic sabotage. We must look thoroughly into this.”
