Assembly’s Hearing on Public Accounts Bill is a Hoax, Says PDP

Hammed Shittu

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described last Monday public hearing conducted by the state House of Assembly on Public Account Audit Bill as a hoax, uncalled for, and an attempt to hoodwink the people of the state.

In a statement issued yesterday by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Tunde Ashaolu, it alleged that the Assembly had already prepared and sent the bill to the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who is expected to sign it into law so as to meet the deadline set by the World Bank.

The statement said: “Whatever contributions made by individuals and groups who attended the public hearing are futile, as they cannot be included in the bill that has been taken to the governor’s desk for assent.

“The Assembly had to hurriedly arrange the public hearing because it is part of the mandatory requirement the state must meet to access the World Bank State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for Results (SFTAS) grant which is about $2million. The application process for the grant would close on June 30, 2021.

“If the state government and the Assembly were sincere and responsible, the public hearing ought to have been held long before now so that contributions by members of the public would be considered in the preparation of the bill, which is the essence of public hearings.

“We are left to believe that state Assembly and the state government are trying to hide something from Kwara people, and there is also no assurance that the funds will be judiciously used when accessed.

“Kwarans will recall that that was the same manner the Assembly hurriedly within 24 hours considered and approved the governor’s request to access a N35billion bond.

“This has only got to show that the Assembly led by Hon. Yakubu Danladi, and the governor do not have regard for due process, accountability and transparency.”

The statement added: “We also want the Kwara people, civil society and the media to note that the leadership of the state Assembly has deliberately ignored the convention that chairmanship of the public account committee of the Assembly be assigned to a member of the minority party in the Assemblyfor accountability sake.”