Reps verify 2012 budget implementation, query $500m loan
Senate panel faults FCT Council chiefs
SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has declared that the House of Representatives has not backed out on its call for the full implementation of the report of its ad-hoc committee that investigated the management of the country's fuel subsidy regime.
The assurance came as the House directed its Finance Committee to submit a report on the level of implementation of the 2012 budget within a week.
In the same vein, the House Committee on Debts, Aids and Loans has queried the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi over a $500m loan proposed to be used for the upgrade of four international airports located in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
Specifically, the proposed loan is to be sourced from the China Export Import Bank.
Also, the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday sent out the Chairman, Kwali Area Council, Mr. Joseph Chazhin, over alleged discrepancies in the expenditure of N1.6 billion capital vote.
The committee also mandated the Chairman, Abaji Area Council, Yahaya Musa Mohammed, to account for N323million surplus in 2011 fiscal appropriation.
The lawmakers had in the wake of the nationwide crisis generated by Government's decision to totally remove fuel subsidy in December last year ordered an investigation into alleged corrupt practices in the distribution of subsidy funds, fallout of which saw the Farouk Lawan-led adhoc panel recommending the prosecution and further investigation of some oil marketers and government functionaries.
Tambuwal who received members of the Anti-Corruption Network, a non governmental organisation with special focus on anti corruption on a courtesy visit yesterday however, lamented the attitude of some government agencies saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption, adding that they were not co-operating enough with the House when issue of corrupt practices were brought to the fore.
While pledging the support of the Chamber to the ideologies of the Dino Melaye-led Anti-Corruption Network and other related civil society groups, Tambuwal disclosed that the House would henceforth embark on quarterly oversight monitoring of budget implementation as against the yearly exercise conducted by the parliament.
The decision was taken following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Abdulrahman Abba Terab regarding the issue of budget implementation.
After a debate on the Terab motion, the lawmakers directed the House Committee on Finance "to compile and present a comprehensive report on the revenues, expenditures, and any unforeseen savings in the 2012 budget implementation, and carve out a solution on the outstanding capital releases in the 2012 appropriation act with a view to ensure its full implementation, and submit to the House within one week."
Chairman, House Committee on Debts, Aids and Loans, Adeyinka Ajayi yesterday explained that the parliament was interested in knowing if the loan complied with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Ajayi also sought to know the amount attached to each of the airports as well as ascertain if the projects have been subjected to the appropriate Environmental Impact Assessment.
Responding, Oduah-Ogiemwonyi disclosed that the facility being sought by the parliament was a concessional loan that would last for 25 years with a ten year moratorium and a 2.5 per cent interest rate.
Chairman of the Committee, Smart Adeyemi, made the order when Chahzin and Mohammed appeared before the committee to defend their 2013 budget.
Apart from the inability of the Kwali Council boss to explain how much he received for capital projects, the committee also frowned that Chazhin could only report N7 million out of N74 million he projected as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
