House Vows to Expose Corruption, Identify Challenges Affecting Execution of GGW
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The House of Representatives has vowed to expose corruption and identify challenges affecting the execution of the Great Green Wall (GGW) and also guide the new administration in the continued implementation of the policy.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Tajudeen Abass, stated this Wednesday while declaring an investigative hearing on the Utilization of Ecological Funds Released to the Great Green Wall open.
He noted that the hearing was coming at a time of heightened public expectations, given the experiences with the management of public funds by agencies of government in recent times, which was threatening the development of the nation.
The Speaker noted that the importance of the Great Green Wall project cannot be overemphasised especially in view of the security problem facing the nation in the last two decades.
He recalled that the National Agency of the GGW was established by an Act of parliament in 2015 to implement the Nigerian component of the Great Green Wall programme which is an initiative of the African Union (AU) to address the problems of land degradation, desertification, drought, Climate Change and Livelihood of affected communities in 11 frontline states in the North-east and North-west regions sharing borderlines with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Abbas stressed that in view of the utmost place the project occupies, the parliament provided numerous funding sources including the Ecological Fund of the Federation established to provide resources for protecting the country’s natural environment and funding repairs and developments necessary to prevent harm to the natural resources funds.
He said, however, information emanating from the field does not seem to reflect an optimal implementation of this noble programme despite the numerous funds available for its implementation.
Worried by this development, the Speaker noted that the 10th parliament deliberated on the issue and resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate corruption and identify challenges affecting its execution.
Abbas stated: “The objectives of this investigative hearing are: gather data to ensure the programme is optimally implemented, identify challenges affecting the execution of the project, to expose corruption, and guide the new administration in the continued implementation of this policy which is crucial to both the well-being and the security of our nation.
“Furthermore, expenditures of public funds and ensuring such expenditures are in line with this hearing fulfills the parliamentary responsibility to set down rules and of public interest and annual budgetary provisions, not forgetting donations from both domestic and international donor agencies from the ecological fund office for the GGW projects.”
The Speaker assured members that the investigative hearing was not for persecution or score settling, adding that the parliament was only exercising its mandate as provided for by the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Earlier, the Ad hoc Committee Chairman, Hon. Isma’ila Dabo, said in recent years, the country has witnessed a significant upsurge in natural environmental challenges such as land degradation, deforestation, desertification and drought.
He added that projects such as the GGW under investigation were designed primarily to address some of these issues.
Dabo noted that the persistence of these challenges despite funds put into the programme from both the Federal Government and international partners has necessitated the investigation.
He stressed that the investigation was to provide fair hearings to all parties and for all issues affecting a successful implementation of the project to be brought on the table.
