Reps Committee Demands Accountability From MDAs On Allocations

Reps Committee Demands Accountability From MDAs On Allocations

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has said that government agencies must show value for money allocated to them from public resources, insisting that infractions will no longer be tolerated.

The committee also frowned at extra-budgetary spending by the agencies in contravention of financial regulations and no remittance of Internally Generated Revenue, while demanding proper accounting records from them.

Speaking at the commencement of a three-day oversight of government agencies in Lagos and investigative hearing, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam said the committee was committed to ensuring that all agencies of government comply strictly with budgetary appropriations.

Salam said appropriate sanctions would be meted out to any agency discovered to have violated laid-down financial regulations

The committee addressed the ongoing issue of non-remittance of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

The committee queries the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Dr. Olugbenga Owoeye for engaging in extra-budgetary spending and the inability to adhere to financial regulations thereby contravening several sections of financial regulations.

The committee also frowned at the employment principle of the hospital, saying they failed to adhere to the federal character principle of sharing available job opportunities equitably across the geo-political zones of the country.

The committee asked the hospital management to account for contract sums of N422.3 million as well as the spending of N50.3 million on staff training.

The committee also queried the Lagos University Teaching Hospital over the non-remittance of IGR, the discrepancy in Remita payments amounting to over N2 billion, and extra-budgetary spending amounting to N150.3 billion in the period under review.

Responding to queries from the committee, the CMD said that the 500-bed facility which was established in 1907 is in urgent need of support to enable it to deliver on its mandate.

On his part, the Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Lanre Adeyemo said the hospital was undergoing some challenges that have made its operations very difficult, pointing out that, of all of such, the power supply has remained stubbornly outstanding.

Prof. Adeyemo said it cost the hospital over N181 million monthly to power the facility until a federal government intervention of 300 solar panels was deployed.

Both hospitals complained about personnel loss due to the “Japa syndrome” and untimely release of budgetary allocations to them and called on the committee to help them intervene in all their problems to enable them to live up to public expectations.

Other MDAs scheduled to appear before the committee includes: the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research, NIMR; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi; Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA); Nigerian Shippers Council, (NSC); Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA); Nigeria Railway Corporation, (NRC); Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, (CRFFN); amongst others.