From JIDAUNA YANUNG, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has asked the Federal Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investment to refund the #75bn allocated to it as COVID-19 lntervention to the coffers of the government. The committee also asked the Federal Ministry of Health to refund to government coffers #10 bn meant for vaccine productions, which was not utilise for that purpose. The committee gave the directive to the two ministries as they resumed investigative hearings on the expenditure of the COVID -19 intervention fund by MDAs. The committee frowned at the refusal of the Ministry of Industries to honour its invitation on three occasions without any excuse. This follows the adoption of a motion by Hon. Bassey Akiba (LP, Cross River). The committee asked the ministry to refund the money appropriated to it during the COVID -19 pandemic in the country.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Bamidele Salaam (PDP Osun), had informed members that despite a series of invitations extended to the ministry, its officials had failed to respond or appear before the committee.
Also, the committee asked the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency( REA) Salihijo Ahmed to submit documents on the utilisation of the agency’s COVID-19 intervention fund to the committee.
