EFCC Drags In As Reps Probe MDAs Over Management Of Ecological Fund

The House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Fund on Wednesday invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), to assist it in its ongoing investigation into receipts and utilisation of the funds by states, local governments and government agencies.

According to the committee, the EFCC expected to attend all its investigative hearing sittings as the probe lasts.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Isiaka Ibrahim, who announced this on Tuesday, wondered why many of the invited MDAs have continued to shun its invitation, adding that of the panel to appear before it,

Noting that it is imperative to prove to the MDAs that the investigation was a serious business, he said that anyone who has received the ecological fund must account for the expenditure.

“By our next adjourned date, those that we have invited that have not shown up; by the mandate and by resolution taken by the committee, the EFCC should be part of us in our next adjourned date, to take note of our proceedings and we are just placing them on notice.

“We are going to write them formally. And this is pending when we are going to submit our report on the floor of the house for further legislative actions”, he said.

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Isiaka stated further that while the Ministry of Health received N20 billion from the ecological fund, it has failed to appear before the committee to explain how the fund was expended.

He added that the Ministry of Works, which received between N10 to N15 billion from the ecological fund, claimed to have spent it on the East-West Road.

“Ministry of Health, they collected about N20 billion. They refused to come and defend what they spent it on. Ministry of Works collected about N10 to N15 billion and they said they spent it on East-West Road, that has a separate budget”, the lawmaker submitted.

The committee, therefore, summoned the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Niger Delta, and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency to appear before the committee for explanations.