At his presentation/receipt of his Certificate of Return in 2015, president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari said ‘very soon, the Boko Haram will feel the might of our armed forces.” Then, Boko Haram was the greatest threat to Nigeria’s peace and stability. His promise became a beacon of hope for Nigerians. Six years after, Nigerians are faced with frightening security issues.
Following a motion sponsored by Senator, Sani Mohammed from Niger State, whose constituency has been at the receiving end of banditry, he sought the intervention of the Senate, which consequently dedicated several plenary sessions to the multiplicity of attacks. The Senate demanded a shakeup in the leadership of the nation’s security architecture. It was done. Yet, the fearful situation has not abated. But for Dr. Obiso “While we do not intend to give excuses for the unfortunate security challenges facing the nation, there are indications that some of them are being contrived and fuelled by bad belly politics of those who don’t wish the country and its people well.
“As support groups for this administration, we are of the firm conviction that these are temporary setbacks and trying periods for our nation, and we shall overcome. In the light of this, we would like to urge the media to exercise more discretion in the reportage of criminal elements, who tend to enjoy and revel in the publicity they are getting almost ex gratia from the media. We must all remember that we need to first of all have our country, before we can discuss our problems as a people.”
While the Senate was at its Sallah break, some of its committees were alive to their duties. For example the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and that of Finance met with the relevant agencies of government to continue the drive of shoring up revenue of the Federal Government.
In its dealings with the MDAs, it made some findings of alleged infractions to the processes and procedures of the government in use the use of funds for public value. One of such agency that appeared before the Senate Committee on public accounts, chaired by Senator, Matthew Urhoghide, was the National Agency for the Control of Aids, (NACA). The agency was represented by it director of Finance, Nsikak Ekong.
The committee, read out the alleged infraction of the NACA administration while dispensing funds.. It was to include funds meant to add value to the government while it met the immediate objective of the campaign against the dreaded disease, HIV/Aids.
The DG of NACA then was Dr Sani Aliyu who was able to attract a grant to the agency but allegedly spent about N13 million. The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) had to send the observed alleged infractions to the National Assembly for further investigation and resolution. NACA faced the committee to address the alleged infractions.
in another development, the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola, in its investigation of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF), found out that the fund allegedly under-declared its revenue generation to the government between the year 2014 – 2029. The discovery appeared strange to the Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Bello Maigari, as he was shocked that the Fund, between 2014 and 2020 had spent N7 billion and also allegedly violated processes designed to prevent wastages.
According to Senator Adeola who confronted Maigari, at the Senate hearing on the stamp duty, he said: “We discovered another monumental fraud from the National Lottery Trust Fund for money that ordinarily should have been used for good cause in accordance with their Act. The total money accruing to them in the period under review is about N7 billion but by the time we marry this money with the good cause to be provided, we noticed that the amount expended on good course is even more than the amount that is declared. “And the question is where do you get this excess fund? Do you have any other source of income? The answer is no. And what that simply implies is under declaration of revenue.”
More revelation followed when Senator Adeola pointed out that over N1billion was allegedly spent, observing that total procurement cost for the contract awarded without due process was N800 million, while consultancy service was N185 million. The consultancy, according to him, should not go above 10 percent which should have saved the agency and the government some N105 million because the right fee would have been N80 million but N185 million was paid out as consultancy for an N800 million.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital…
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…
and then