Audit Query: House Probes NESREA over N1.25bn Extra-budgetary Spending

Udora Orizu

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) has frowned at the extra-budgetary spending of N1.25 billion by the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Agency (NESREA) in 2019, without following due process.

The Committee chaired by Hon. Wole Oke, while describing it as illegal and total violation of the law, resolved to probe the spending to unravel the mystery behind the act.

The lawmakers therefore summoned the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committee on Environment to appear before it to explain their role in the spending following allegations by the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Professor Aliyu Jauro that the budget was approved by the Committees.

Addressing the lawmakers, the NESREA boss claimed that the agency had the mandate of the National Assembly to spend its internally generated revenue (IGR), insisting that the budget was approved by the lawmakers.

However, the Chairman of the Committee, Oke said there was no evidence that the budget of the agency was ever tabled before the House neither was it debated nor approved by the House.

Oke directed the Clerk of the Committee to write letters to the chairmen of the Committees on Environment of both chambers of the National Assembly to invite them to come and explain their roles in the consideration and passage of NESREA’s 2019 budget.

He said if both the House of Representatives Chairman on Environment and his Senate counterpart considered and approved the money, it would amount to acts of illegality and usurping of the powers of the President as only him is authorised to assent to the budget for expenditure to commence.

According to him, “From details available in the 2019 submitted audited report of the Agency, there was no evidence of its budget having passed through the rungs of required legislative process of submission of its estimates from the Presidency; no evidence of its receipt at the legislature or that it was debated on at plenary by the House before being committed to relevant committees for the necessary checks before it was compiled along with those of other MDAs and sent to Mr. President for assent to become an Act.

“If this is so, then it amounts to the two chairmen of the NASS Environment Committees just sitting back in the corners of their offices and unilaterally approving the NESREA budget and ordering commencement of expenditure without Mr. President’s assent, amounting to an acts of illegality and gross insubordination.”