The House of Representatives has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Accountant General of the Federation -AFG, Oluwatoyin Madein, to submit a detailed report on the use of the 100 billion naira COVID-19 intervention funds approved and released by the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari to ministries, departments and agencies between 2020 and 2022.
The Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam, who issued the notice in Abuja expressed dismay at the AGF’s refusal to comply with the resolution of the committee to submit the report on October 27, 2023. He noted that the House had mandated the committee to investigate the expenditure incurred under the COVID-19 interventions especially in the year 2020 and up to 2022.
Leading the debate on the motion, Nyampa Zakari, who underscored the role of the lawmakers in unmasking corruption in the use of public funds, lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the loss of lives, jobs and economic opportunities for millions of world’s citizens including Nigerians.
The House is disturbed that the Auditor-General’s report and other sources reveal that significant funds for COVID-19 palliatives and international donations were diverted and unaccounted for by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.