Audit Query: Senate Threatens N’Delta Amnesty Programme Boss with Arrest Warrant 

Sunday Aborisade

The Senate Public Account Committee (SPAC) has threatened to initiate an arrest warrant against officials of the Presidential Amnesty Programme over their failure to account for a total of N10bn allegedly mismanaged by them.
The Chairman of SPAC, Senator Matthew Urhoghide took the decision at the last sitting of his panel recently.
His action was based on the failure of the Interim Administrator of the PAP, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd.), to honor the invitation sent to him to explain the alleged financial scandal in the agency.

The Committee, according to Urhoghide, had invited the PAP interim administrator to appear on the query raised against the agency in the 2018 report of the Auditor General for the Federation.

The Interim Administrator was billed to appear on February 3, in a letter dated January 25, but failed to show up.
He also ignored another invitation in a letter dated May 19, asking him to appear on June 16.
He also shunned the committee’s latest letter dated June 28, asking him to appear on July 5.

Urhoghide said his panel’s secretariat was in possession of the acknowledged copies of the letters showing that they were all received by the PAP boss.
Speaking on the persistent failure of the officials of PAP to appear before the Panel, the SPAC Chairman wondered, “why an agency that come to National Assembly to get appropriation should decline to appear before the National Assembly to give Account of the money it spent.”
He said the Committee had no other option than to initiate a warrant of arrest on the Accounting officers of the PAP.
The Chairman said, “They have consistently refused to appear before the Committee, which is very unfortunate.
“We will start the process of issuing a warrant of arrest on the Accounting officer of the PAP.”

The query read in part stated: “Audit observed that the sum of N 324,969,190.00 was paid to some members of staff vide six payment vouchers for hosting Ex-Agitators, 150 Leaders of Ex-Agitators, and logistics for various training in 2015 financial year.
“However, these vouchers and attached supporting documents revealed that the payments were made into a single person’s accounts on behalf of other beneficiaries. This action is in contravention of the aforementioned provisions.

“In the same vein, payment vouchers were raised and paid for the sum of N 3,465,713,500.00 in the 2016 financial year as monthly stipends to ex-agitators in various camps.

“These payments were made without due recourse to the e-payment policy of the federal government where the amount should have been paid direct to the accounts of the beneficiaries.

“This may lead to diversion of public fund for purposes other than intended.
“The Special Adviser is required to explain and justify why payments of amounts totalling N3,790,682,690.00 were made into single person’s accounts on behalf of other beneficiaries instead of individual payee accounts.

” The Special Adviser should also provide clear evidence that the amounts due to each beneficiary were received in full by the individuals, failing which sanctions in line with provisions of Financial Regulations 3106, 3127 and 3128 should apply.”

Another query read, “Audit observed that Payment voucher No: OSAPNDOC-/848/15 for the sum of N 136,930,500.00 dated 22/12/2015 was paid to a vendor without relevant supporting documents.

“The letter of agreement included: Cost of logistics, list of Niger Delta Youths beneficiaries for a purported training event on Automobile Manufacturing Maintenance etc and this contravened the above quoted Financial Regulation provision.

“Furthermore, another contractor was paid via Payment voucher number No. OSAPND/OCC/19/2019 dated 16th June 2017 in the sum of N 99,928,500.00 was made to a contractor for the supply of agricultural equipment/starter-pack for empowerment of 100 delegates without relevant supporting documents like award letter, Store Receipt Vouchers (SRV), among others.

“The Special Adviser is required to provide the relevant supporting documents, otherwise refund the sum of                     N236,859,000.00 to the treasury.

“Details of the refund must be forwarded to the National Assembly and the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation. Sanction in line with Section 3106 of the Financial Regulation, should apply.”

Another query also read, “Audit observed that three payment vouchers totalling N 147,812,347.00 were made in 2015 financial year for contract awarded in 2011 and 2013 financial year for training of delegates in vocational skills.

“Further examination of the payment voucher and the attached documents revealed that the payments were made in 2015 without revalidation of the approvals.

“The payment for the contracts of the vocational skills seems not to have been paid within the year of execution and as such the budgeted amount for the vocational training should ordinarily have lapsed and returned to government coffers as at 31st December of the year.

“This was done in contradiction to what is stipulated in the Financial Regulation 413 (i) and provision for their payment should be made in the subsequent year’s budget.”