Alleged N661m fraud: Reps query Science and Tech Ministry

ABUJA — MEMBERS of the
House of Representatives
Committees on Public
Accounts and Ministry of
Science and Technology,
yesterday, queried the
ministry over an alleged
N661million fraud
bordering on excessive
spending and non-
adherence to due
process.
Also, the House
Committee on Public
Accounts in a meeting set
up a subcommittee to
work with the Auditor
General of the Federation
to re-audit the account
of National Agency for
Food and Drug
Administration and
Control, NAFDAC, from
2006 till date.
It was gathered that the
House Committee on
Science and Technology
queried the use of N557
million budgeted for the
hosting of the
International Junior
Science Olympiad between
2009 and 2010. Its
counterpart in the Public
Accounts Committee, PAC,
of the House has also
queried the ministry over
the use of N104 million
for the branding and
repositioning the agency
and its affiliates.
The query from the Office
of the Auditor General of
the Federation claimed
that the ministry
preferred depositing
funds with its affiliate
rather than the parent
ministry.
It revealed that the
ministry in 2011 raised 31
vouchers for N32 million it
used to purchase
stationery that were not
properly retired and
failed to follow due
process.
It was also alleged that
the queries against the
ministry have been
subsisting for the past
seven years. The
Committee Chairman, Rep
Solomon Adeola, said the
ministry had failed to
appear before the
committee to defend the
budgetary infractions.
Rep Adeola said: “The
minister appeared before
the committee last
November, but
explanations offered in
defence were not
tenable. They were
summoned today
(yesterday) but the
Permanent Secretary
failed to appear on the
excuse that he was still
studying the situation.”
He explained that the
committee had given the
ministry seven days to
prepare its defence,
failure which it would be
deemed to have been
indicted by the audit
reports and appropriate
sanctions would be
recommended against the
minister.
Audit of NAFDAC
account
The Rep Adeola-led PAC,
yesterday, mandated the
Office of the Auditor
General of the Federation
to, as a matter of
urgency, to carry out
extensive audit into the
accounts of the National
Agency for Food and
Drugs Administration and
Control ,NAFDAC, in all its
financial activities in the
last six years.
Summons Minister
The House committee on
science and technology
has summoned the
Science and Technology
minister over the
expenditure of N557
million for the
International Junior
Science Olympiad in the
2009 and 2010 fiscal
years.
The Minister of Science
and Tech is expected to
appear before the
committee today with
details of the activities of
the ministry, actual
amount released, amount
expended and other
incomes.

Source: www.vanguardngr.com