House Of Representatives Directs Fire Service To Return N1.48bn COVID-19 Relief Funds

House Of Representatives Directs Fire Service To Return N1.48bn COVID-19 Relief Funds....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has directed the Federal Fire Service to promptly refund the sum of N1.48 billion to the Federation Account within a week. This amount represents intervention funds allocated for the COVID-19 health epidemic, for which the Fire Service has failed to provide a proper account………CONTINUE READING

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The committee, led by Bamidele Salam, issued this directive after the Federal Fire Service neglected to appear for an investigative hearing for the third consecutive time. Jeremiah Umar, the Deputy Chairman of the committee, moved a motion advocating for the refund, emphasizing the importance of accountability, stating, “so many other agencies have appeared before this committee, and the investigation is ongoing. I don’t see any reason why the fire service will ignore a committee like this.”

Umar further asserted that since the Fire Service couldn’t clarify the controversies surrounding its COVID-19 expenditure, the appropriate action was to refund the N1.48 billion received in 2020.

Simultaneously, the committee extended fresh invitations to various defaulting ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government, urging them to address queries from the Auditor General of the Federation related to the allocation of billions of naira as COVID-19 intervention funds.

Among the invited entities are the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (N50.5 billion), the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (N33 billion), the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs through the National Centre for Women Development (N625 million), the National Centre for Disease Control (N25 billion), and the Federal Ministry of Health (N10 billion).

Bamidele Salam expressed dismay over the Federal Fire Service’s repeated failure to respond to the committee’s summons, noting that the affected ministries and agencies had been given one week to appear or face sanctions.

Salam emphasized the consequences of non-compliance, stating, “A public officer who fails to respond to the Auditor-General’s query satisfactorily within 21 days for failure to collect government revenue due shall be surcharged and be transferred to another schedule.” He further added that failure to provide a satisfactory reply to an audit query within seven days could lead to officers being surcharged for the full amount involved and handed over to either the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. Salam highlighted that the committee had multiple assignments beyond the COVID-19 probe and emphasized the need to address various responsibilities promptly.

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Source: Bushradiogist