Reps panel gives Budget Office ultimatum on N2.6m

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has issued the Director General of the Budget Office Ben Akabueze a 4-day ultimatum to account for an insurance premium of N2.6 million.

The committee said the amount was paid to an insurance firm but that there was no evidence on how the payment was made. The amount was said to have covered the insurance of six vehicles in the Budget Office.

Acting on a query raised by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the panel, chaired by Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) said several documents related to the transaction were missing.

The auditor general’s report said the examination of the payment voucher revealed that the agreement entered into between the Budget Office and the company was neither attached to the payment voucher nor produced for inspection and that efforts made to obtain certain documents were not successful.

The panel ruled that Akabueze should within the next four days provide the files for the vehicles insurance; insurance cover of each vehicle; original copy of the contract agreement and premium paid in previous years.

Chinda said, “The committee finds it worrisome that National Assembly will be made to sit over queries hinged on refusal or neglect to furnish the auditor general with documents/ information.”