By Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives has issued a warrant of arrest on the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer CEO of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority Mr. Olufemi Olayemi for failing to appear before its Committee on Public Accounts probing the audited accounts of ministries, departments and agencies of federal government.
The House Committee Chairman Hon. Oluwole Oke directed its Clerk to issue the warrant of arrest on the CEO of the agency on Wednesday at the ongoing investigative hearing of the Committee where it directed the agency to re-appear for their backlog of unaudited accounts.
Oke who was furious when he called on the Managing Director of the agency and he was not in attendance said that he particularly directed the agency boss to re-appear today for their own audited accounts to be scrutinized and wondered why the agency helmsman failed to turn up.
Meanwhile the Committee has placed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC, the Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service, the National Insurance Commission NICON under status enquiry for failing to properly submit their audited accounts as an when due.
The Committee Chairman had noted that most of these agencies that made some efforts to submit their yearly audited accounts did so after more than one year against the extant provision of the laws.
The Osun born lawmaker frowned at the non-appearance of the CEOs of the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS, Upper Benue and Benin Owena Development Authorities and some other agencies and called on them to urgently report to the probe panel or be ready for arrest and other sanctions.
The Committee also quized the management of the Federal Medical Centre Jabi Abuja, Federal Medical Centre Ebutte Meta, Lagos and other hospitals for keeping a backlog of unaudited accounts.
The lawmaker and other committee members had grilled the Chief Medical Director CMD of FMC Ebute Meta Dr. Dani Dada who said that he had submitted the audited accounts up date since he only assumed office in 2017.
The lawmakers also ordered the Minister of Water Resources Mr. Muhammad Sabo Nano to appear before it unfailing to shed light on the unedited accounts of Water Basin Development Authorities under the ministry.
