The Federal Government has flagged down the sum of N142 billion belonging to MDAs, making it impossible to be withdrawn or spent because it is questionable and until the MDAs explain how they came about such redundant funds.
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye revealed this at an interactive session with media executives and online publishers in Abuja on Tuesday, an event organised to mark the Commission’s 20th anniversary. The accounts have been placed under close watch because they are ‘questionable’, the chairman said.
Owasanoye said the commission was able to track the extra funds through electronic monitoring of payments and transfers from salary accounts among others by some MDAs. According to him, ICPC issued the relevant alarm and the Ministry of Finance thereafter placed the affected accounts under negative warrant where the funds cannot be spent.
Furthermore, he said the Commission has recovered close to N2billion in cash. He said that if the physical assets were added, the amount recovered by the commission so far, would be far more than this.
Speaking on the lingering debate over the proposed merger of anti-graft agencies, the ICPC boss argued that there is a case for multiple anti-graft agencies in Nigeria. According to him, the only missing link is coordination. He observed that aside from ICPC, EFCC and CCB which many observers have focused attention on when discussing anti-corruption, about 30 or so agencies are relevant to corruption fight These other agencies he said include BPP, NEITI, NAFDAC, NDLEA, CPC among others which have strong regulatory powers to check corruption. He specifically noted the fact that the police are essential players in the fight against graft.
Owasanoye also debunked the notion that the agency has avoided probing the military, thereby making sacred cows out of them. According to the ICPC boss, petitions about military issues have been received and investigated appropriately.
The DG NOA, Garba Abari, who was also at the roundtable outlined the efforts of the agency against all odds. His agency presented a paper on the Overview of the Nationa Ethics and Integrity Policy. Dr Abari said the NOA remains very credible and relevant to grassroots mobilization. According to him, some global bodies prefer to work with NOA on people- oriented programmes.
The Spokesperson of ICPC, Mrs Azuka Chinelo Ogugua, also addressed the gathering which was attended by other top officials of the commission. Also present at the event were Hon. Dauda Yahaya and Talatu Mohammed.