Extra-Budgetary Expenditures: Reps Committee begins probes of MDAs over N600Bn on salary & wages

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…Orders Accountant General of the Federation to provide list of culprits

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, PAC has began a full scale probe into how 115 Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs of the Federal Government incurred over N600 Billion  extra-budgetary expenditures on Salary and wages as contained in the audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation from 2018 till date. Addressing the opening session of the investigative hearing, the chairman of the committee Hon Busayo Oluwole Oke gloom at the defense that some of the expenditures were incurred based on existing circulars and directives.

According to the Audit query, ‘’Audit observed that 203 MDAs exceeded their Personnel Cost budget by N641,757455,172.  01 while 115 MDAs had Zero Personnel cost even though there was Budget allocation for them. The sources of extra funds for salaries and wages in 103 were not disclosed, also, the reasons for zero Personnel budget allocation for the 115 MDAs were not stated despite the fact that the MDAs under defence had annual budgets approved for them”. It advised that the office of the Accountant General of the Federation should investigate the Sources of the extra budgetary expenditures and reasons for non-compliance with down financial regulations. It recommended that failure to justify Sources and reasons for the expenditures, “the expenditures totaling N641.75bn the officers in charge should be held pecuniary responsible”

According to the Chairman, ” this is an aberration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, clear rape of Financial regulation and public procurement act, nobody has the power to appropriate any money to any MDAs except the National Assembly through the budget from the Mr President, before the passage of Mr President’s appropriation bill, it has to pass through stages and after the passage, it has to be returned to the Mr President for his ascent.

“But we have discovered a situation where some Ministers and heads  of MDAs are fond of appropriating funds and approving several millions of naira for spending without such coming to the parliament but relling on circulars and directives, this is illegal and we are going to stop’’.

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