Senate decries lingering financial impropriety of Government Parastatals

The Nigerian Senate has decried the lack of adherence to the established accounting mechanisms that ensure accountability and transparency in Ministries, Department & Agencies (MDAs) of the government.

President of the Senate Dr Ahmad Lawan stated this on Wednesday after receiving the report of the Senate public accounts committee on the 2015 audited report of the MDAs.

The Senate President also assured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains committed to supporting the auditor General in the discharge of his responsibilities.

Meanwhile, the chairman Senate public accounts committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, has warned that audited reports of MDAs would henceforth be a major criterion for the budget defence sessions in the National Assembly.

The Senator believes that the Lawmakers must support the auditor general to hold public officials to account if corruption must be tackled.

LEAKING ROOFS

In another development, Senate has denied media reports alleging that its leadership approved the sum of N37 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.

Senate also clarified that the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA), is responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the National Assembly adding that it has not received any amount for the renovation of the complex.

Raising Point of Orders 14 and 15 of the Senate Rules, the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi declared the media report as contemptuous and a breach of his privileges and that of senators, lamenting that the falsehoods contained in the report by the media were intended to denigrate the image of the National Assembly and incite Nigerians against lawmakers on the various social media platforms.

Senator Abdullahi added that the most critical aspect of the report was that the leadership approved N37 billion for rehabilitation of the complex, which he said was farther from the truth.

“At the end of the day, as we all know, when the sum of N37 billion was made as a provision in the shared 2020 of the budget, the media went to town castigating and calling the National Assembly members all kinds of names.

“Now, at the end of the day, the pandemic came and that amount was reduced to about N9 billion so that they can take the rehabilitation in phases. As we speak, nothing has been done until yesterday, like we all saw, the leakages across the complex.

“This is a vindication of what the leadership and, indeed, the Senate and members of the House of Representatives saw with respect to this edifice which is a national monument,” he stressed.

President of the Senate Dr Ahmad Lawan, described the report as irresponsible, adding that the media should seek clarification on matters of interest through proper investigations before filing reports.

The Senate President noted that he and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on the assumption of office, met with President Buhari on the need to renovate the complex, to which he agreed and asked for the costings from the management –the technical side of the National Assembly and some contractors.

Senator Lawan described the National Assembly as the house of the citizens of Nigeria, and the symbol of democracy, saying “If this complex leaks, the interpretation is we are not holding our democracy with the respect that it deserves.”

Addressing Journalists on the matter after plenary, Senate spokesman, Senator Ajibola Basiru reiterated that the National Assembly complex is a national monument that falls under the purview of control of the FCDA, which is “Responsible for its maintenance as well as renovation and not the leadership of the National Assembly.”

PIAK