The House of Representatives’ Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils and Ancillary Matters has vowed that it will report some agencies that refused to be accountable to President Bola Tinubu.
The committee also pledged to sanction the Social Development Secretariat for the Area Councils for not honouring its invitation in the past one year.
Led by Hon. Frederick Agbedi, the Committee further resolved to embark on intensive oversight on agencies in charge of all Area Councils in the FCT.
The panel which made these decisions during its meeting at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, said those actions were necessary due to the refusal of some of the agencies to honour its summons to present their budgetary expenditures.
Agbedi further asked all affected agencies to liaise with the Committee’s secretariat with a view to developing schedules of oversight visits.
“After a budget cycle, you spent money, you need to account for it before you get other monies. But when you’re not responding to such, it means you’re running away from accountability. It means you have something to hide, and for us as a Committee, we’re prepared to work and ensure a better service is rendered to the people.
“As a committee, the constitution provides that every public office holder must give account of stewardship. Some of the agencies submitted their reports, many others did not do anything for about a year, and we’ve been waiting.
“Henceforth, we will invoke our powers because once you hold an office, you are supposed to render account. Any agency which failed to do so is evading accountability, which the law provides for actions to be taken, including to cause an investigation of the agency concerned,” he said.
The lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency of Bayelsa warned that the Committee will not accept excuses anymore and frowned at the failure of chief executive officers of the few agencies to appear personally before the panel for the very important meeting.
Some of the agencies which were represented at the meeting include the Auditor General for the FCT Area Councils, FCT Area Coucils Pension Board, FCT Area Councils Universal Basic Education Board, FCT Area Councils Public Service Board, Area Councils Resettlement and Compensation Secretariat, FCT Area Councils Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat and the FCT Area Councils Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board.
The Committee Chairman expressed displeasure with the representative of the Area Councils Public Service Board who reported that the office was unable to attend earlier meetings because it was carrying out verification of pensioners.
At the end of the meeting, the Committee and the concerned agencies arrived at dates for oversight engagements, which Agbedi insisted must fall within the next three weeks.
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