MARGARET CHIDERA
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts (PAC), has given management of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), a seven-day ultimatum within which to appear before it to explain its mode of operations of fund and reserve, in line with the Act that set it up.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep Busayo Oluwole Oke, handed the summon on Tuesday, when the Accountant General of the Federation, Sylva Okolieaboh, appeared before the Committee on multiple queries raised against several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), of the Federal Government.
According to him, the Agency’s Management is to appear along with their Accountant Generals, who are expected to explain the mode of operations of the funds in line with the Act which established it.
The Management is also expected to explain the utilisation of two and a half per cent ‘Education Tax’ being collected from companies and agencies on behalf of the Federal Government.
The Committee, in addition, requested for details of expenditures, list of donors, grants and total amounts involved.
It also frowned at practices where Agencies had not been rolling back its surplus funds to the consolidated account of the Federal Government at the end of every financial year, as obtained with other MDAs.
The Committee directed officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), to appear before it, to assist in carrying out its investigation into the operations of the Agency.
According to Oke, “we have come to a stage where the Committee has to exercise its constitutional power, we are not a dog that can only bark but cannot bite.
“The Committee Clerk is hereby directed to prepare the list of those involved and by tomorrow morning, we will have no choice than to present it to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila, to sign the warrant of arrest.”
The Agencies summoned are: TETFUND, Universal Education Board (UBEC); Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA); Ministry of Transportation, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and Ministry of Works and Housing.
