…Issues 72-hour ultimatum to AGF to submit report on N100bn COVID-19 funds
The House of Representatives, says it would investigate the N200 billion expended on the postponed 2023 census by the National Population Commission (NPC).
The resolution was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion co-sponsored by Dominic Okafor and Patrick Umoh at plenary, yesterday.
Okafor, who moved the motion, said “census provides accurate population data crucial for development planning, policy formulation, resource allocation, and government programme implementation.”
He said census was most necessary especially at a time when the Federal Government in conjunction with state governments were working on giving palliatives to vulnerable citizens and also planning other social services.
The Rep member said the NPC had the mandate to conduct periodic census surveys, and other methods to enumerate the country’s population and to provide data for national planning and economic development.
Okafor recalled that a national census was last conducted in Nigeria in 2006 and the 2023 census that was scheduled for May 2023 was postponed by the commission.
According to him, the data collected in the 2006 census is far from reality today and cannot validly form a solid base for the formation of national economic policies that will aid the Federal Government in administering viable national planning.
“The commission has admitted to having spent N200 billion of the N800 billion budgeted for the planning mid-execution of the 2023 population and housing census, which was postponed.
“The financial investment in 2023 population census planning would have improved economic planning and distribution of palliatives in the country.
“If the population and housing census fails to take place within 12 months, the information gathered across the country would become stale, a waste of resources and the country would have to increase costs of gathering fresh information,” he said.
He said the Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, had expressed readiness to conduct a population and housing census during a visit to President Bola Tinubu on July 6, 2023.
The House urged the Federal Government to, upon fixing a date, constitute Census Tribunals in designated centres in accordance with Section 28 of the National Population Commission, Act, 2004.
In another motion, the House gave a 72-hour ultimatum to the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein to submit a comprehensive report on the utilisation of N100 billion COVID-19 intervention funds.
The fund was allocated by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies between 2020 and 2022.
Bamidele Salam, chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, who issued the ultimatum, expressed disappointment with the AGF’s failure to comply with the committee’s resolution to submit the report by October 27, 2023.
The House had mandated the committee to investigate the expenditure related to COVID-19 interventions, particularly in the years 2020 to 2022.
“A letter was sent to the Accountant General, requesting details of all disbursements according to the Appropriation Act and other interventions provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria to MDAs.”
He said the submission deadline was set for October 27, adding that the committee had not received the requested information.
He emphasised the importance of the document to guide their investigation, while instructing the AGF to submit the report by Friday, November 3.
The House’s resolution came in response to a motion regarding the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2022, which were allocated to various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.