The House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts has proposed the exclusion of the National Examinations Council (NECO), University of Ibadan (UI), and 22 other government entities from the forthcoming 2025 budget due to their failure to account for previously allocated funds.
Chairman’s Call for Accountability
Bamidele Salam, the Chairman of the Committee, discussed the decision on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’. He highlighted that the lack of financial discipline among these institutions hampers Nigeria’s budget implementation each year.
Recalcitrance of Agencies
Salam noted that these agencies have repeatedly ignored summons from the House to clarify their expenditure of funds from previous budgets, including allocations from as far back as 2020. “Unfortunately, we have a situation where some agencies have become recalcitrant, refusing to honour invitations, refusing to honour summons,” he stated, emphasizing the necessity for accountability in public finance management.
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Legal Basis for Delisting
The decision to recommend delisting is grounded in the Financial Regulations of 2009, which permit the National Assembly to withhold funding from agencies not adhering to financial accountability standards. Salam explained, “One of the penalties specified by the Financial Regulations… is that ministries that refuse to account for monies appropriated by the National Assembly can be delisted from further funding.”
Example of Non-Compliance
He specifically cited NECO, which has been summoned five times without response or attendance, as an example of the broader issue of non-compliance among the listed agencies. This has led to the committee’s firm stance on enforcing budgetary discipline by recommending the cessation of funds to these agencies until they comply with accountability requirements.
