Tensions Rise As Nigerian House Of Reps Propose Removal Of Key Institutions From 2025 National Budget Reason

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts has recommended that the National Examinations Council (NECO), the University of Ibadan (UI), and 22 other government agencies be excluded from the 2025 federal budget.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

This recommendation comes after allegations of unaccounted funds allocated to these agencies in 2024 and previous years.

Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Committee, revealed this decision during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday.

Salam explained that the action was prompted by the agencies’ failure to account for their allocated funds and their refusal to honor multiple summons from the House.

He stated, “The Public Accounts Committee, as a constitutional committee of the House, is mandated to ensure accountability, probity, and efficiency in the use of resources allocated to ministries, departments, and agencies.

“Unfortunately, we have encountered a situation where some agencies have been recalcitrant, refusing to honor invitations, failing to appear to account for previous allocations given to them in federal budgets, some dating back to 2020, 2021, and 2022.

“One of the penalties outlined by the Financial Regulations 2009 and other relevant laws is that ministries that fail to account for allocated funds or refuse to comply with invitations to do so may be delisted from further funding. This is exactly what the Public Accounts Committee has done by reviewing ministries, departments, and agencies that consistently failed to attend summons or submit documents that would authenticate the lawful use of funds.

“For these agencies, the appropriate course of action, as stipulated by our regulations, is to halt further funding.

“For example, NECO has been invited by the Public Accounts Committee up to five times but has neither responded nor attended any of those summons. The same issue applies to the other 24 agencies listed in the resolution passed by the Public Accounts Committee recommending their removal from further funding.”