By Gift Chapi Odekina
The House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Fund has
threatened to issue a bench warrant on states and MDAs who failed to appear before it for the investigative hearing on the accruals and utilization of ecological funds.
The committee also summoned National emergency management agency (NEMA), Hydroelectric power producing areas development commission (HYPADEC) over refusal to appear before it.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Ibrahim Isyaka, who issued the ruling during the hearing, expressed dismay that only nine out of the 36 states and the FCT turned up for the hearing. He also wondered why states most affected by the recent flooding in Nigeria, were absent at the investigative hearing.
The hearing which had only nine out of 36 states invited include Ondo, Kwara, Imo, Ogun, Jigawa, Plateau and Enugu. While the agencies that failed to appear where: Ecological project office, Federal Ministry of Niger Delta, National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Ministry of Health among others.
According to the chairman, “It is disheartening that states worse hit by this year’s flooding are absent at this hearing. The House can decide to scrap the ecological fund entirely but we would not for the interest of Nigerians. Absentee states and agencies will have a second chance to defend themselves, if they don’t come, they’ll be made to appear through a bench warrant. We’ve seen the allocation given as not being enough and we say come let’s find a way forward and you refuse?”
Isiaka further explained that the hearing was organized on the need to investigate the total consolidated accruals and utilization of Ecological Fund.
Speaking also at the hearing, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was represented by the deputy house leader, Peter Akpatason said that the objective of the hearing was to gather data to design public policy and guide governance decision-making on the funds.
Gbajabiamila, who was represented by the deputy house leader, Rep. Peter Akpatason, observed that this hearing has been convened at the right time when millions of Nigerians are suffering the adverse effects of a devastating flood across the country.
“One of the questions for this hearing is to what extent the Ecological Fund has been helpful at this moment of national ecological disaster?
The Secretary, Association of Finance Commissioners and Commissioner for Finance Jigawa State Ibrahim Umaru who was also present at the hearing while giving his submission on behalf of his state said most states commissioners have not gotten clearance from their principals to appear before the committee, hence; the reason they most states did not show up.
The committee gave the states and agency till Wednesday to appear before it or face the wrath of the House.
