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Tag: MDA

  • Lagos assembly begins probe on auditor-general’s report on MDAs

    Lagos assembly begins probe on auditor-general’s report on MDAs

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday began probe on the 2019 Auditor-General’s Statutory Report on the accounts of the state’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    Chairman of the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee on State, Mr Nurudeen Saka-Solaja made this known while addressing newsmen before commencement of the exercise in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the public accounts committee is a statutory establishment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The committee is an important instrument of checks, probity and accountability by the legislature both at the federal and state levels.

    Saka-Solaja explained that the purpose of the probe was not to witch-hunt but to invite all heads of the indicted MDAs.

    He added that the exercise was to seek clarifications as regards the outstanding queries raised in the Auditor-General’s report to enhance better service delivery in the state.

    Saka-Solaja noted that Sections 125(2) and 129(1) (c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, empowered the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Assembly to ‘summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence at any place’.

    “The committee is also empowered to direct the person to produce any document or other things in his possession or under his control and examine him as witness and require him to produce any document.

    “The committee can also direct him to produce other things in his possession or under his control, subject to all just exceptions’ during the deliberation and consideration exercise of the audited report of the accounts of MDAs submitted by the Auditor-General of the state.

    “Accordingly, in consonance with the need for effective and best practices in the pursuit of its statutory objectives, the public accounts committee (State) of the Lagos state house of assembly today commenced the deliberations and considerations of the audited report of the state auditor-general on the accounts of the state.

    “This is for the year ended, December 31, 2019,” he said.

    Saka-Solaja however assured Lagosians that all monies budgeted for the MDAs would be properly scrutinized to ensure it was judiciously spent as captured in the budget of the state.

  • Gbajabiamila frowns at MDAs boss neglect of NASS invitation

    By Gabriel Okoro, Abuja
    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila says he is bothered over the failure of head of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to honour the invitation by the National Assembly when needed for questioning.
    The Speaker disclosed this while receiving the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi and his team on Wednesday in Abuja.
    He said among the reform agenda of the House, he will meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the challenge soon.
    According to the Speaker, the House will launch its own reform agenda when they resume from the recess.
    Reacting to the Bureau of Public Service Reforms achievements as read by its Director General, the Speaker admitted that the agency have done enough but it is still not there yet.
    “It’s one thing to reform it’s another thing to give it a legal backing to give it teeth to bite. If you want these reforms to be effective, there is need to collaborate with the National Assembly for legal backing”, said the Speaker.
    He added that to reform, it requires the public to be sensitised.
    Earlier in his remarks, the Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Asabi explained that the agency is linked to the ongoing budget reform process.
    Speaking further, Arabi said the agency is recommending the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to be the sole database for all in the country.
    While making known other achievements of the agency, he noted that it has developed a website that will assist in ranking ministries of their performances.
  • Federal Government MDAs’ owing N178bn outstanding loans – DMO

    Federal Government MDAs’ owing N178bn outstanding loans – DMO

    The Debt Management Office, DMO, has put the debts of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs of the Federal Government at N178.09bn.

    In a report titled: ‘Federal Government On-Lent Loans to MDAs,’ the DMO disclosed that it raised the funds which were lent to various MDAs to carry out specific assignments in order to boost economic activities in the country.

    According to the DMO, the benefiting MDAs executed Memoranda of Understanding before the funds were advanced to them to underscore the fact that they were supposed to return the funds to the coffers of the government.

    As of December 31, 2016, the report said the MDAs had a total of N178.09bn to return to the coffers of government, out of a total of N220.62bn that were advanced to them.

    The report said, “As part of activities to stimulate growth in the real sectors of the economy towards job creation and poverty reduction, the Federal Government of Nigeria from time to time had through the DMO provided loans to various MDAs to fund development of infrastructure and special projects in key sectors of the economy.

    “The projects are road, railway, agriculture, education, cotton, garment and textile, as well as other projects in the key sectors of the economy. Each of the on-lent loans to the MDAs was backed by a Memorandum of Understanding executed between the DMO and the MDAs concerned so as to ensure timely and full repayment of the loans.

    “The total outstanding on-lent loans to various MDAs amounted to N178.09bn as of end-December, 2016. The loans were extended to the MDAs to fund the development of infrastructure and special projects in the key sectors of the economy.”