The Nigerian Senate has asked Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and his government a 48-hour deadline to account for N13.9 billion in Service Wide votes collected between 2017 and 2021.
Senator Mathew Uroghide, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, disclosed this at an investigative hearing on Tuesday in Abuja.
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This came as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, William Alo, who appeared before MPs on behalf of the Ministry, was unable to satisfactorily explain the N13.9 billion spending and was unable to give any supporting documents, which left the panellists perplexed about the Ministry’s culture of impunity.
As a result, the secretary requested more time to seek for the documentation pertaining to the cash.
The proposal enraged MPs, who revealed that the Committee had been fighting for four months to have Ministry officials appear before it.
Senator Uroghide said: “Based on records made available to the committee from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, a total of N13.9 billion was disbursed to the Ministry from the Service Wide votes for special capital projects execution from 2017 to 2021.”
The congressman added that the Committee had written multiple invitation letters, but the administration kept ignoring them.
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“Only for you to come here today along with the DFA of the Ministry to beg for more time which would not be granted beyond Thursday this week because the committee must submit report to the Senate on how your Ministry and many of the other MDAs are running away from explanations on spendings made from the Service Wide Votes,” he said.
Uroghide stated that the committee’s inquiry revealed that government officials spent Service Wide Votes carelessly and demanded that the Ministry of Communications explain how the sum was spent.
However, the committee agreed to hear the troubled Permanent Secretary again on Thursday.
Pantami, the minister, was all over the news in 2021 for his previous call to Jihad and unwavering backing for homicidal organisations like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
“This jihad is an obligation for every single believer, especially in Nigeria,’’ Pantami was quoted as saying in one of his vicious preaching in the 2000s.
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“Oh God, give victory to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda,” he was quoted to have also said.
Uroghide stated that the committee’s inquiry revealed that government officials spent Service Wide Votes carelessly and demanded that the Ministry of Communications explain how the sum was spent.
However, the committee agreed to hear the troubled Permanent Secretary again on Thursday.
Pantami, the minister, was all over the news in 2021 for his previous call to Jihad and unwavering backing for homicidal organisations like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
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