Reps ask ministry of industries to refund N75b COVID-19 intervention fund

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts yesterday asked the Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investment to refund the N75 billion allocated to it as COVID-19 Intervention funds to the coffers of the government.
The committee also asked the Federal Ministry of Health to refund to the coffers of the government the sum of N10 billion meant for vaccine production which was not utilised for that purpose.
The committee gave the directive to the two ministries at the resumed investigative hearing on the expenditure of the COVID-19 intervention fund by MDAs.
The committee frowned at the refusal of the Ministry of Industries to honour its invitation on three occasions without any excuse.
Adopting a motion by Bassey Akiba (LP, Cross Rivers) asking the committee to compel the ministry to refund the money appropriated to it during the intervention in the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the committee said the money should be refunded with immediate effect to the government coffers.
The committee adopted the motion after it was seconded and directed that, the ministry refund the said funds to the federal government.
The chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun) informed members that, despite a series of invitations to the ministry, its officials have failed to respond or appear before the Committee.
Salam said: “The federal Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investments got the sum of N75 billion as COVID-19 Intervention funds. The Public Account Committee has sent invitations to the Ministry of Industries, Trade and Investments three times, and none of the invitations has been honoured.
“The Federal Ministry of Trade was to make their appearance yesterday. That was the last opportunity given to them but there was no such appearance. N75 billion Naira was appropriated to them.
“Former Permanent Secretary and the current Permanent Secretary are affected by this motion to refund the sum of N75 billion to the federal government as COVID-19 Intervention which as far as we are concerned has not been expended”
The committee also directed the Federal Ministry of Health to return N10 billion meant for the production of COVID-19 vaccines which was not utilised by the government.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Daju Kachallom had informed the Committee that, the funds were domiciled with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.