By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has called for an inquiry into financial Expressing concerns over the disregard for parliamentary oversight, amounting to N3.2 billion under the leadership of former Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Ministry of Labour, Williams Alo and Yerima Tafa.
The legislative body has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (IPCC) to take appropriate steps regarding the matter.
The Chairman House Committee on Public Accounts, Rep. Bamidele Salam,con Monday, who expressed concerns over the disregard for parliamentary oversight, crcriticised persistent failure of ministries and government agencies to respond to audit queries.
According to Rep. Salam, despite repeated invitations, the Ministry of Labour has neither provided the necessary documents nor defended itself against 32 audit queries from the 2020 audit report.
He noted that while the Auditor General’s report contained specific recommendations, the committee extended multiple opportunities for the ministry to respond—efforts that were ignored. He further lamented the broader trend of government bodies failing to honor parliamentary summons, undermining the National Assembly’s constitutional role in ensuring accountability.
The committee has also directed the current Permanent Secretary, Saliu Usman, to appear within 72 hours to address the outstanding audit queries for the 2021 financial year. Failure to comply may lead to the adoption of the Auditor General’s recommendations. Similarly, the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of Transportation, Women Affairs, and Humanitarian Services have been given the same timeframe to respond to related matters.
Committee members emphasised the urgency of resolving these audit queries before the next report is presented in April. Some lawmakers also raised concerns that the Minister of State for Labour, being a former legislator, should understand the importance of engaging with the National Assembly on financial oversight issues.