By Nathaniel Zacchaeus
The Senate yesterday gave the Ministry of Interior 24 hours to defend the N700m it collected from Service Wide Vote (SWV) for the monitoring of the Edo and Ondo states’ governorship elections.
From the record of the Auditor-General for the Federation, the money was released in two batches, N400m for the Ondo State governorship election and N300m for the Edo State governorship elections.
According to the Authority to Incur Expenditure, the N400m was given to the Ministry of Interior for logistics and operational support in respect of the Ondo State governorship election.
Part of the report read, “The second of N300m to the Ministry of Interior for logistic and operational support in respect of the Edo State governorship election.”
The Chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, Senator Mathew Urhoghide gave the directive to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. S. Belgore.
The ministry had earlier given an excuse that the N700m would be accounted for by the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NSDC).
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According to the Permanent Secretary said, “It is the NSDC that will account for the money. We only requested on behalf of the NSDC.”
Not satisfied with the defence of the Permanent Secretary, the Chairman of the Committee said that the excuse was not tenable because the NSDC did not collect the money, it was the Ministry that collected the money.
He added that the NSDC would only come before the Committee to account for the money requested personally from the Service Wide Vote.
Urhoghide said, “The NSDC have their queries, they are coming before the panel to respond to the one that bears their names, they have the money given to them directly. From our records, it is your ministry that will defend the expenditures, not NSDC.”
The Chairman, therefore, gave the ministry 24 hours to defend the N700m for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
“You have 24 hours to make your report available to us, we must get an explanation from you,” he added.
