The House of Representatives Committee on Emergency and Disa-ster Management has summoned the secretary to the government of the federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette; the Min-ister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the director of budget, Dr Bode Augusto to answer questions on alleged misapplication of N16 billion ecological funds between January and November this year.
The three top govern-ment officials are also expected to be questioned over the alleged misappropriation of the ecological funds thro-ugh diversion and patronage to individuals and political parties.
Over the years, according to the House committee, ecological funds were spent without budget and had therefore become an easy route for graft.
Briefing National Assembly correspondents shortly after a meeting with the mini-ster of intergover-nmental affairs, Mr Frank Nweke Jnr, chairman of the committee, Dr Jerry Ugokwe, who made the disclosure, said the lawmakers were worried with the manner funds meant for people struck by misfortune were spent elsewhere.
Nweke had during the meeting told the legislators that no budget breakdown was given on how to spend the funds.
The SGF is said to be in charge of the ecological monies. Ugokwe frowned at the indiscretion with which the monies were doled out as patronage, and pledged that the committee, which was recently constituted, would draw the curtain on the tendency.
According to the chair-man, 1.46 percent of the federal government’s revenue goes to the ecological funds, and that between January and November N16.34 billion had accrued to the account.
“The ecological funds has been abused for sometime. The monies in this fund are being diverted, somet-imes given to political parties or patronage to individuals.
“We are worried that 1.46 percent of government’s rev-enue is being spent without budget, without appropriation by the National Assembly.
“We are going to put a stop on this, we must make sure that ecological funds reach where they are meant for,” he said.
Ugokwe said his comm-ittee has written to Ekaette, Okonjo-Iweala and Augusto, to appear before the panel on Tuesday.
“We are determined to solve this problem once and for all,” he added.
Asked whether the committee would only look ahead in instilling discipline in spending the funds, Ugokwe said they would also unearth all wrongs deemed to have been committed in the past.
“The committee is not just for tomorrow. But it is to add-ress issues of disaster and emergency, and if in the process we find some wrong-doings committed within the life of this National Assembly, we will have no problem looking into them. Nothing limits us to the records of now alone.”
The chairman said the panel will in the course of its probe summon any minister, serving or retired, whose ha-nds are found to be enmeshed in “this recklessness.”
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