The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has commenced its phase one southwest oversight functions on the spending of appropriated funds to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The committee which is headed by Representative Bamidele Salam (PDP Osun) commences the oversight on Wednesday, 21st August and will continue till Friday, 23rd August, 2024, where several agencies are billed to cause appearances.
In his opening remarks, Rep. Salam emphasised that the committee is not out to witch-hunt any MDAs but to make them to ensure full compliance with budgetary appropriations in order to enhance value for money.
The committee in its hearing on Wednesday entertained presentations from The Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital during which they were grilled on matters relating to their budgetary performance through the instrumentality of the annual budget.
While fielding questions on various financial and regulatory infractions from the committee, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Dr. Olugbenga Owoeye stated that the 500 bed facility which was established in 1907 is in urgent need of support to enable it to deliver on its mandate.
The committee during the question and answer session expressed worry over the recurring non-remittance of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR); engaging in extra-budgetary spendings and inability to adhere to financial regulations thereby contravening several sections of financial regulations.
The committee also frowned at the employment principle of the hospital which failed to accommodate the federal character principle of sharing available job opportunities equitably across the geo-political zones of the country.
Equally, under scrutiny was the requests of the committee that the hospital to accounts for contract sums of NN422.3million as well as the spending of N50.3million on staff training.
The explanations offered by the CMD fell short of the expectations of the committee and it therefore requested for records all the paid for, completed and on-going contracts.
LUTH on the other hand which was represented by its Medical Director, Prof. Lanre Adeyemo who headed his team of staff explained that his hospital is also undergoing some challenges that have made its operations very difficult, pointing out that, of all of such, power supply has remain stubbornly outstanding.
He put the cost of powering the hospital at some point at over N181 million monthly until a federal government intervention of 300 solar panels were deployed.
He was grilled on non-remittance of IGR, discrepancy in Remita payments amounting to over N2 billion, extra-budgetary spendings without approval amounting to N150.3 billion in a period under review, untidy works by the LUTH tender board, contravention of circular on no-payment for staff’s professional membership fees, amongst other sundry issues.
His justification of the issues under probe did not convince the committee and it therefore requested for necessary evidences on approvals, spendings and adherence to financial regulations.
Ruling on the matters, the committee resolved that, all the excuses rendered in explaining the contraventions did not hold water and cannot be tolerated even as they amount to gross violation of extant laws.
It could be noted that, both hospitals complained about personnel loss due to the Japa syndrome and untimely release of budgetary allocations to them.
They called on the committee to help them intervene in all their problems to enable them to live upto public expectations.
Other MDAs scheduled to subsequently appear before the committee include: Nigerian Institute for Medical Research, NIMR; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi; Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA); Nigerian Shippers Council, (NSC); Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA); Nigeria Railway Corporation, (NRC); Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, (CRFFN); amongst others.
