By. Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives committee on public Account, PAC on Wednesday rejected the submission of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC on the Audit queries from the office of the Auditor General of the Feederation on Non-Rediton Audited financial statement for the period covering 2020- 21 financial years.
The Committee being chaired by Hon Busayo Woke Oke (PDP- Osun) while rejecting the submission said that the supporting documents were not signed or authenticated by any authority which made the submission invalid in the eyes of the law..
Consequently, the Committee stepped down all its queries and directed its new Executive Secretary, Mrs Saratu Umàr to go back with the Submission to enable her to familiarise herself with it and come back to defend it by next week Wednesday
The Director of Finance of the Commission, Mr Mr Akwada James had stunned the Committee members while defending the submission as he said that he was at loss while preparing the submission and that he did know how to explain the item by item in the queries as demanded by the Committee.
At this stage , committee members one after the other pointed out several flaws in the submission which they said looked like a forged document that would not stand the text of time before the law.
Speaking, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Oke said,” Madam Executive Secretary, agreed that you just came to the office but it today, one of the debtors of the Commission shows up to pay a debit of one billion naira, are you going to take the money as the Chief executive officer of the commission or not?”
The NIPC boss answered Yes,affirmatively that she would be glad to receive the payment promptly
In his response, the Chairman of the Committee then replied, ” good, if your answer is yes, this Committee will allow you to go back and go through your submission, familiarize yourself with the contents and the relevant supporting documents and come back to defend same before this Committee, we are practicing the principle of fair hearing here, we are not here to ambush or hsrass individual or organization”
The Commiitte also faulted the claim of the Commission that its supervisory Minister gave it approval to spend its over N1billion Internally Generated Revenue, IGR I, describing as illegal and unacceptable
