From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representative Committee on Public Account (PAC) has queried the Federal Ministry of Water Resources for allegedly spending between N12.5 to N25 million for per unit of borehole.
The Committee, which raised the query, yesterday, at an investigative hearing on the expenditure of COVID-19 funds, also raised eyebrows over alleged expenditure of N4 billion by the ministry to engage 100 youths for sanitation, across the 774 local government areas.
Chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, while speaking at the investigative hearing, said the lawmakers will embark on project verification across the country. Salam said states to be visited for project verification included Osun, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Imo, Ebonyi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Bauchi and Adamawa.
He charged the ministry to tender all relevant documents relating to every contract, procurement and the certificates needed to execute them on the next date of appearance.
“What I want this committee to note is that we are going to do project verification. Not only for this ministry but for other ministries, departments and agencies that have said they have done one project or the other. The committee will need to go and see exactly what is on ground so that we can have value for money,” he said.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Didi Walson-Jack, who appeared before the committee, told lawmakers that the boreholes were sunk across some states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“In total, 299 new water schemes were embarked upon during the period just as 188 old and abandoned solar boreholes were resuscitated during the period. Each state of the federation received N10 million intervention items,” Walson-Jack said.
In a related development, the committee insisted the accounting officer in the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development must appear before it, in person, to explain how N2 billion intervention funds allocated to the agency was spent.