House of Representatives Committee Demands Refund of Unutilized COVID-19 Funds from Ministries
In a stern directive, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has mandated the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investments to refund N75 billion allocated as COVID-19 intervention funds. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Health is instructed to return N10 billion earmarked for COVID-19 vaccine production.
This resolution stemmed from a motion put forth by Bassey Akiba, a Labour Party member from Cross River State, triggered by the ministry's absence during the committee's investigative hearing. Despite three invitations, the officials failed to attend, prompting the committee to take action.
Originally scheduled for January 17 but postponed due to the Oyo State explosion, the investigative hearing saw Akiba compelling the ministry to refund the allocated funds. The committee, led by Chairman Bamidele Salam, expressed frustration over the non-compliance, emphasizing the urgency of the matter.
Salam stated, "The Federal Ministry of Trade, Industries, and Investments got the sum of N75bn as COVID-19 intervention funds... N75bn was appropriated to them, and none of the invitations was honored."
The committee also directed the Ministry of Health to return the unspent N10 billion meant for COVID-19 vaccine production, despite the ministry's representative citing the funds' deposit with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. The committee asserted that the money should be returned promptly, leaving open the option for the ministry to reapply if necessary.
In a parallel development, the committee requested the Director General of the Rural Electrification Agency, Salihijo Ahmed, to submit documentation detailing the usage of the agency's COVID-19 intervention funds. Ahmed was given until Friday's close of work to provide the necessary documents, with a reappearance scheduled for Monday at 10 am.
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