*Nigeria鈥檚 House of Representatives鈥� Committee on Public Accounts recommend the delisting of the University of Ibadan, in Oyo State, National Examinations Council, and 22 other government departments and agencies from the 2025 Budget for failure to account for funds allocated to them in 2024 and the previous years in line with the Financial Regulations 2009 and other enabling laws on accountability in the country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

For lack of financial discipline and failure to account for how 2024 Budget funds and other previous budgetary allocations were utilised, Nigeria鈥檚 House of Representatives鈥� Committee on Public Accounts has recommended the delisting of the University of Ibadan (UI), in Oyo State, National Examinations Council (NECO), and 22 other government departments and agencies from the 2025 Budget over unaccounted funds allocated to these agencies in 2024 and the previous years.

绿帽献妻 reports Hon. Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts, disclosed this move Thursday, December 19, 2024, while featuring in a Channels TV programme monitored in Lagos.

Entrance gate of the University of Ibadan

Salam hinted that apparent lack of discipline on the part of the affected public institutions has affected the efficient implementation of Nigeria鈥檚 budgetary allocations over the years.

The Chairman of the House Committee also affirmed that the concerned agencies have consistently shunned summons by the Lower House of the Federal Legislature to explain how they spent taxpayers鈥� money as previous budgetary funds allocated to them.

He further noted: 鈥淭he Public Accounts Committee as a constitutional committee of the House has a mandate to ensure accountability, to ensure probity, to ensure efficiency in the use of resources allocated to Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

鈥淯nfortunately, we have a situation where some agencies have become recalcitrant, refusing to honour invitations, refusing to honour summons, refusing to appear to account for previous allocations given to them in Federal budgets, some in 2020, 2021, and 2022.鈥�

Salam stated: 鈥淥ne of the penalties specified by the Financial Regulations 2009 and other enabling laws on the issue of accountability in Nigeria is that ministries that refuse to account for monies appropriated by the National Assembly or refuse to honour invitations to render those accounts can be delisted from further funding.

鈥淎nd that is exactly what the Public Accounts Committee did by reviewing in the last few months those ministries, departments and agencies that have consistently refused to honour invitations or even submit documents, which will authenticate their judicious and lawful use of resources previously allocated.鈥�

The legislator further stressed: 鈥淔or those, one of the appropriate measures as stipulated by our regulations is to stop further funding for them.

鈥淟et me give you an example of the National Examinations Council (NECO). NECO has been given invitations up to five times by the Public Accounts Committee.鈥�

He explained 鈥渢hey have neither responded to any of those invitations nor physically attended any of the summons.

鈥淪ame with every other agency, 24 of them listed in that resolution that was passed by the Public Accounts Committee as a recommendation for the delisting of these agencies from further funding.鈥�

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