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Nigeria’s House of Representatives has began legislative scrutiny of the total sum of N1.4 trillion and $460 million allegedly spent by the President Muhammadu Buhari executive arm of government on fuel subsidy and arms procurement.
Breakdown of the fund allegedly spent with appropriation include: N1.4 trillion paid for under recovery subsidy on premium motor spirit (PMS) and $460 million recently paid to US firms for arms procurement.
The resolutions were passed during the debate on motion of privilege sponsored by Sunday Karimi (PDP-Kogi) and Toby Okechukwu (PDP-Enugu).
Karimi, who drew the attention of the House to the motion which he sponsored last week, frowned at the failure of the joint Committee on Finance and Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to carry out investigative hearings into the allegations.
He observed that the Minister of State for Finance recently affirmed that over N1.4 trillion has been expended on under recovery without appropriation by the Parliament.
Karimi, who accused the Executive of circumventing the extant laws on appropriation, argued that “any spending without the approval of the Parliament is unconstitutional. We can’t sit here without asking any question.”
When asked to give report on the status of the investigative hearing, Ibrahim Babangida, chairman, House Committee on Finance explained that the joint Committee has started engaging the MDAs and fixed 26th April, 2018 for public hearing.
On his part, Toby Okechukwu (PDP-Enugu) who came on matter of privilege, noted that the collective privilege of members has been breached by the Executive over the payment of $460 million to US firms for the procurement of arms without appropriation as provided by section 80 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) as well as the provisions of the Legislative and Privileges Act, which gave the Parliament the powers to make legislations and economic powers to make Appropriation law.
He noted that such spending should be in line with the prescription of the National Assembly.
Okechukwu argued that the Federal Government has usurped the powers of Parliament and called for the intervention of the House.
Speaking further, Okechukwu noted that without appropriation it would be difficult to ensure value for money on any form of transaction funded by public fund.
“We have to look into this and verify the veracity of the payment and why the breach of the extant laws as well as the breaches,” he stressed.
In his intervention, Femi Gbajabiamila, Majority Leader who acknowledged the intendment of the motion, however noted that the motion should come under matter of urgent national importance rather than privileges as cited by Okechukwu.
While ruling, Speaker Yakubu Dogara noted that these allegations are “very very serious issues, and if it discovered to have been drawn from the purse, it can be regarded as stealing really.”
To this end, Dogara resolved to refer the motion to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP-Delta) for further legislative action.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
