Reps To Probe 300 MDAs Over Failure To Submit Audited Accounts

The House of Representatives said on Monday it will investigate over 300 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), which have failed to submit their audited accounts to the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation as required by law.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the House, Hon. Bamidele Salam, disclosed this at the resumed hearing of the panel on the expenditure of government agencies from the COVID 19 funds that some of the agencies have not submitted their audited report for about ten years

Salam said the House will also undertake a verification exercise of all government projects across the six geopolitical zones of the country to determine whether the projects exist and the extent of work carried out on them.

He said, “The Committee to investigate the failure of the MDAs to submit their audited account is headed by Hon. Zakaria Nyamkpa (PDP-Adamawa) and has one member each from the six geo-political zones.”

The members are Hon. Kabir Ahmadu Maipalace (North West), Hon. Maruf Adebayo (South West), Hon. Ojema Ojotu (North Central), Hon Ogbodon Mitema (South-South), Hon. Ja’afaru Leko (North East) and Hon. Hon. Sunday Nnamchi (South East).

Salam also announced six zonal committees to verify government projects in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country who are expected to work throughout the Christmas holiday and report back to the committee in January 2024 when the House resumes from the Christmas break.

The zonal verification committees which have seven members each have as Chairmen, Hon. Chinedu Martins (South West), Hon. Olumide Osoba (South East), Hon. Jeremiah Umaru (South-South), Hon. Taofeek Ajilesoro (North Central’ Hon. Garba Inuwa (North West) and Hon. Mustapha Altyu (North East),

Apart from the COVID-19 projects, the Committee will also verify every project that has come under the radar of the Public Accounts Committee from the MDAs within the last two months when the Public Accounts Committee was constituted.

The Committee also grilled the Officials of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on the utilisation of the over N60 billion allocated to it for COVID-19 intervention.