Finance
N1.7 Tn: Lawmakers Summon Ministers Of Finance, Humanitarian Affairs
Lawmakers at the National Assembly have summoned former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, the incumbent, Zainab Ahmed and her counterpart at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq.
The House of Representatives Committee on Public accounts want the trio to account for a total sum of N1.7tn appropriated for the implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes from 2016 to September 2019.
Our correspondent gathered that the Committee also summoned the incumbent and former permanent secretaries and desk officers involved in the implementation of the NSIPs in both the ministries and the National Social Investment Office.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Wole Oke, issued the summons at an investigative hearing on the audit queries on the NSIPs by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, alleging that the Special Assistant to the President on Home School Feeding Programme, Mr Dotun Adebayo, and other desk officers provided misleading information on the NSIP account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba, in his presentation, however disclosed that out of the N1.7tn appropriated for the NSIPs within the four-year period, only N619.142bn was released and N560.914bn utilised.
According to him, the balance of N58.227bn was handed over to Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
Agba’s presentation of the breakdown of the funds processed and released by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning showed that N32.088bn was released for Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, N20.59bn for Conditional Cash Transfer, N149.965bn for Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, N355.846bn for Job Creation Unit, while N2.428bn was released for Social Investment Programme (General).
Agba said: “Prior to the handing over to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, requests for payments for all types of expenditures in respect of any of the programmes of NSIP emanated from the National Social Investment Office situated under the Office of the Vice President.
“Requests for payments from the NSIO office were signed by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment. Funds for the programmes are domiciled in Central Bank of Nigeria Account Number 0020208461037.”
In his response, Oke expressed displeasure over the failure by all the desk officers to provide the procurement records.
He said: “We gave you powers, pursuant to our various appropriation Acts, to spend money; no problem. We are only asking you, based on the project audit, to retire. Give us records. It is as simple as that.
“You’ve given us records of N-Power. Nobody is arguing with you over N-Power. We can see the names of beneficiaries of N-Power; nobody is making noise about it.
“As members, we can feel the N-Powerbeneficiaries in the various local government areas and constituencies; nobody is asking you questions about it. But Dotun claimed that Auditor-General said they spent N191bn and we are asking him to retire same. It is as simple as that.
“Give us records, what you did with N191bn. Who did you pay to? That is the question we are asking. We should be able to report to Nigerians. That is what we are asking for. Give us the procurement report and that ends there.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, wanted for offences relating to economic and financial crimes.
This was contained in a notice posted on the commission’s official Facebook page on Thursday.
The notice read, “The public is hereby notified that Yahaya Adoza Bello (former Governor of Kogi State), whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88
“Bello, a 48-year-old Ebira man, is a native of Okenne Local Government of Kogi State.
“His last known address is: 9, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.”
The notice asked anybody with useful information about the former governor’s whereabouts to contact any of the commission’s offices across the country.
The anti-graft commission had earlier stated that it would, on Thursday (today), arraign the former governor before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
This was after the EFCC was granted a warrant of arrest by the Federal High Court in Abuja to apprehend the former governor.
Punch reported that The agency’s team of lawyers, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, during the proceedings on Thursday, said that EFCC operatives were prepared to carry out the arrest warrant for the former governor, even if it requires the use of force.
Bello and three other suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, will be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite.
They face 19 counts related to money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,088.88.
The Federal High Court in Lagos State, on Wednesday, granted businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, N10m bail with two sureties in like sum.
On Tuesday, EFCC slammed him with 3 count charge over the abuse of naira and asked him to report to court.
In court, The celebrity bar man pleaded not guilty to tampering and abusing the naira during his trial.
Earlier on Sunday, the EFCC revealed that it was probing several celebrities over alleged abuse of Naira notes.
In a statement, its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said;
“Many of them have made useful statements to the commission and many more have been invited by investigators working on the matter.
“The EFCC will not relent in its no-sacred-cow mode of operations and the public should be wary of running afoul of laws against the crime.”
Popular celebrity bar man, Pascal Okechukwu well known as Cubana Chief Priest will be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over abuse of the naira on Wednesday, according to court documents.
He is facing three count charges for allegedly spraying and tampering with the naira at a social event contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
Not too long away was crossdresser Bobrisky Sentenced to 6 months in prison over thesame money mutilation. Now it is Cubana Chief Priest.
It seems like the government is taking the naira abuse situation much more seriously now.
Cubana Chief Priest would be arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
A copy of the document filed on April 4th by EFFC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) alongside seven other lawyers representing the chairman of the Commission read:
1- “that you, Okechukwu Pascal on 13th Feb. 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.
2 – “that you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.
3 – “that you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.
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