In a decisive move, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has instructed the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investments to reimburse N75bn designated for COVID-19 intervention, following the ministry’s absence at the investigative hearing on the alleged mismanagement of pandemic funds.
The motion, spearheaded by Bassey Akiba of the Labour Party from Cross River State, gained traction during Thursday’s sitting, prompting the committee to endorse the directive for the ministry to return the funds to the Federal Government’s coffers.
The PAC had invited 59 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies for an investigative hearing on the purported mishandling of coronavirus funds. Originally scheduled for January 17, the hearing was postponed to Thursday in solidarity with Oyo State after the recent explosion in Ibadan.
Expressing dismay at the Ministry’s repeated non-compliance with invitations, Committee Chairman Bamidele Salam revealed, “The Federal Ministry of Trade, Industries, and Investments received N75bn as COVID-19 Intervention funds. Despite three invitations, no representative from the Ministry attended.
The motion compels them to refund the N75bn to the Federal Government.”
Simultaneously, the committee directed the Federal Ministry of Health to return N10bn earmarked for COVID-19 vaccine production, emphasising that the unutilized funds should be refunded to the government.
Unlike the Trade Ministry, the Health Ministry’s representative assured that the funds were with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
In a related development, the committee instructed the Director General of the Rural Electrification Agency, Salihijo Ahmed, to submit documents outlining the use of the agency’s COVID-19 Intervention funds.
Ahmed has been given until Friday to provide the necessary documents, with a scheduled reappearance on Monday at 10 am for further clarification.
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