Senate blows hot as CBN, others resist oversight functions

The Senate on Tuesday issued a stern warning to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other Ministries and agencies of government for resisting the oversight responsibility of the Senate.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday revealed that the Central Bank of Nigeria and other strategic agencies of government have turned down the demand for submission of reports on their activities. from 2017 – 2019.

He said, the situation has frustrated the efforts of the 9th Senate, while corruption and mass fraud were recurrent decimal in the affected government establishments.

While issuing a seven-day deadline to submit their reports, Senate said, no agency of government would be spared on how financial transactions were handled within the ambit of laws that established the particular agency.

“You are aware that Senate Committee on Public Accounts is charged with the responsibility of reducing corruption in over 600 agencies of government to the barest minimum.

“All public agencies are to report to the committee on their handling of public funds, including donations.

“This committee will not spare any government executive, but we are ready to bring everybody to the public arena.

“Many errant agencies of government have turned down Senate’s request to make submissions on their activities from 2017 to 2019. It’s either the agencies are moribund or their executives are incompetent.”

Other defaulting MDAs are:

1. Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation

2. Federal Inland Revenue Service

3. Federal Capital Development Administration

4. Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria

5. Niger Delta Development Commission

6. National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure

7. Nigeria Investment Promotion Council

8. Federal Airports Authority

9. Nigeria Football Federation 10. Federal Roads Maintenance Agency

11. National Space Research and Development Agency

12. Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute

13. Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency

14. Petroleum Equalization Fund (Management) Board

15. Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs

16. Presidential Amnesty Programme

17. Nigerian Petroleum Development Company

19. Federal Road Safety Corps

20. Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency

21. Nigeria Airspace Management Agency

22. Nigeria Insurance Trust Fund

23. Nigeria Railway Corporation

24. Industrial Training Fund

25. National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

Urhoghide said, the agencies are to address the issues raised in every correspondence to the senate.