The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has issued a warrant for the arrest for Mr Olufemi Olayemi, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority over failure to appear before its committee.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Wole Oke gave the directive to the committee clerk during the ongoing investigative hearing into the presentation of audit reports of ministries, departments and agencies on Wednesday.
The committee is investigating the deliberate and reckless refusal by non-treasury and partially funded agencies to render their audited accounts from the period 2014 to 2018 to Auditor-General of the Federation.
Oke said that Olayemi refused to appear following the committee’s directive for him to present the agency’s audited reports for the period under review.
“We are waiting for Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority; they are not here. This is the second day allotted for them. If we do not see them today, Mr Clerk, we issue a warrant of arrest for the MD and the management.”
Also, the committee placed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and the National Insurance Commission (NICOM) under status enquiry for failing to properly submit their audited accounts as at when due.
The committee chairman said that most of the agencies submitted their audited reports more than one year after the required time which was against the provisions of the law.
He also expressed disappointment at the non-appearance of the heads of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority and Benin Owena River Basin Development and some other agencies.
Oke called on them to urgently report before the investigation panel or face the necessary sanctions.
Moreover, the Committee also queried the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja; Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Lagos; among other hospitals for non-remittance of outstanding audited accounts.
Dr Dani Dada, Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, however, said he assumed office in 2017 and submitted the audited accounts up to date.
