Reps Probes MDAs Over Unexecuted Constituency Projects

The House of Representatives has begun investigation of Federal Government’s ministries, departments and agencies who failed to execute Zonal Intervention Projects with funds released to them.

The move followed the unanimous adoption of a motion moved by the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, and five others, at the plenary on Tuesday, titled ‘Need for Refund of Unspent Budget Funds.’

Ekohotblog reported that President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 19, 2019, said that there was little to show for the over N1tn budgeted for constituency projects of the National Assembly members in the last 10 years.

The President said this at the National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

At the summit, the ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, presented a report on the first phase of a constituency projects tracking initiative.

The House had condemned the ICPC for allegedly misleading Buhari into criticising the National Assembly, asking how the commission arrived at N1tn when the budgets for the constituency projects over the years were not properly funded.

However, the House, on Tuesday, called on all MDAs to “ensure remittance of all unspent budget funds on or before 31 December, 2019, to the treasury.”

The lawmakers also set up an ad hoc committee to “investigate the amount of unspent constituency projects funds not remitted in the last 10 years, identify the defaulting agencies and report back within eight weeks for further legislative action.”

One of the co-sponsors, Abubakar Fulata, who led debate on the motion, noted an increasing need for budget discipline and accountability.

Fulata said: “The House also notes that releases of constituency and other projects funds are based on total sum provided in the annual national budget. Most constituency projects, like other capital projects, are awarded at an amount lesser than the budget provisions by government MDAs.”

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According to the lawmaker, unspent capital funds of MDAs are returned or automatically mopped up by the Central Bank of Nigeria at the end of each financial year.

He, however, said:“The House is further aware that excess funds accruing from the under-valued awards of constituency projects are not returned to the treasury. The House is concerned that those funds are misapplied to other expenditure items contrary to extant public financial management laws and regulations.”