Private Airlines Under Fire To Return N4bn COVID Funds

Eko hot blog reports that in a bold move towards transparency, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a stern warning to private airline operators in Nigeria. They have been given a tight deadline to either justify the use of N4 billion received from the Federal Government as COVID-19 intervention funds or face the consequences of refunding the money.

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Chairing the Committee, Representative Bamidele Salam from Osun State, emphasized the urgency of the matter during Friday’s investigative hearing. The focus was on scrutinizing the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government, as well as other beneficiaries.

The Committee’s directive is crystal clear: private airlines that benefited from the relief funds must either provide concrete evidence of how the money was spent or return it to the federal government treasury within a week. Expressing disappointment, the Committee highlighted the lack of satisfactory explanations from industry stakeholders, including Aero Contractors, Azman, Newrest, and representatives from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

With the deadline looming, the spotlight is on these private airline operators to be transparent about their use of the COVID-19 funds.