A Committee on Public Accounts in the House of Representatives yesterday alleged that the Presidential Amnesty scheme has been grossly mismanaged by those saddled with its affairs.
The committee made this allegation following the inability of the new interim administration led by Col. M. Dixon Dikio (rtd) to properly account for monies paid to ex-agitators and contractors over the last couple of years.
Speaking during a session with the officials of the programme yesterday arising from the audit query from the auditor general of the federation, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Wole Oke expressed displeasure that the office could not account for the monies expended.
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Taking 3 out of the 21 audit queries, Oke said that over ₦3.9 billion was reportedly expended by the Agency with proper documents to back up the expenditures.
The committee said that the Programme paid over ₦3.7bn for Ex-agitators and that the payments violated the e-payment policy of the Federal Government as they were made into a single account instead of the individual beneficiaries accounts.
The Audit query had also accused the office of paying ₦136 million to two different contractors without a proper rendition of accounts of the beneficiaries.
The committee further accused the programme of approving the sum of ₦79m to 11 individual as Cash advancement without retirement of the same. In his response, Dikio pleaded for more time to organize himself for the answers, saying he was new to the office.
The Committee also frowned at the response, saying that government was a continuum, urging him to take responsibility. The table later turned to the Director, Finance and Accounts, DFA, Mr Ityohume Isaac said that the ₦3.7 billion was paid to Camp Leaders of the former agitators who in turned paid to those under them. He added that not all the former agitators were on the Bank Verification Number, BVN of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
However, the Committee Chairman ruled that the Agency should provide the Committee relevant documents on the expenditures detailing the number of the beneficiaries, the amount involved, their addresses and the names of the hotels used which they claimed issued them receipts.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
