House query MDAs over extra budgetary expenditure

By FEMI OGUNSHOLA

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Account on Tuesday queried some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government over what it described as extra-budgetary expenditure.

Rep. Oluwole Oke, the Chairman of the committee and other members grilled the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the MDAs during an investigative hearing on the audit query report of the Auditor-General of the Federation in Abuja

Oke said the queries to the MDAs were from the Auditor-General’s report on the financial statements issued by the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to the MDAs.

This according ti him is pursuant to section 85 of the 1999 Constitution.

He said that most of the MDAs being queried by the committee were summoned to shed light on the alleged extra-budgetary spending.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some MDAs that made appearances or sent representation before the committee included the Surveyors Registration Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), and Ministry of Foreign Affairs among others

Oke said that the MDAs were involved in extra-budgetary expenditure running into millions and billions of Naira through their overhead budgets.

He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a query of an extra-budgetary expenditure of over N4 million while the Federal Civil Service Commission had an extra-budgetary expenditure of over N5 million. (NAN)