Reps summon BPE boss for alleged wastage of N10b on 2 coys
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The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday invited the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayodeji Gbeleyi to appear unfailingly before it on Wednesday, September 11 at 12.00noon, New Telegraph reports.
New Telegraph said that the BPE boss was to respond to allegations that the agency expended N10.4 billion for the registration and running of two companies for the Nigeria Postal Service.
The two companies, NIPOST Transport and Logistics Limited and NIPOST Property reportedly took off in May 2023 and folded up through a Presidential directive in May 2024.
Chairman of PAC, Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun) in summoning the BPE DG expressed displeasure with the development saying no reasonable Nigerian would be happy that N10.4 billion was spent to register two companies that lasted for just a year.
Salam said spending money from government coffers before it is released is a violation of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, adding that such an action was not laughable.
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Earlier, BPE Head of Finance and Accounts, Imam Rilwan, who represented the Director General, told the committee that while about N10 billion was given to the two companies for their take-off, about N400 million was given to the BPE to prepare the ground for the take-off of the companies.
He said the issue of registering the two companies for NIPOST was approved in 2017, paving the way for the BPE to expend about N423 million in registering and carrying out other activities for the eventual takeoff of the companies.
According to him, when the money was released in 2023, BPE had to recover its money, adding that the N423 million given to the BPE was used to rent office accommodation and carry out other essential services.
He explained that while the BPE paid rent for the two companies from 2022, the companies took possession of the offices in May 2023, while they folded up in May 2024.
He said all property belonging to the two companies has been officially handed over to NIPOST management.
Similarly, the committee directed the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and the Investment and Security Tribunal (IST) to pay into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation N3. 457 billion and N6. 327 million respectively within thirty days and tender evidence of payment before the committee.
Head of Monitoring and Evaluation of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Bello Aliyu Gulmare had told the committee that the exam body was defaulting in its remittance, disclosing that it remitted only 25 per cent of its IGR instead of 50.
He said the commission wrote to JAMB in April 2024 informing them of their indebtedness and another letter in August, adding that JAMB did not respond to any of the letters.
Responding, the Director of Finance and Account of JAMB who represented the Registrar said the agency was not receiving any capital and overhead funding from the government and was therefore required to remit 25 per cent of their IGR.
He said there was a government circular that exempted them from remitting 50 per cent of their IGR to the government, a claim that was disputed by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
He said JAMB has a letter from the Ministry of Finance granting them a waiver from paying the 50 per cent waiver.
Ruling on the submission, the committee chairman and members frowned at the refusal of JAMB to respond to the letters insisting that the government is run based on correspondence.
He said the board should pay into the government coffers, the amount standing against them within 30 days.
In another ruling, the committee asked the Investment and Security Tribunal to immediately recover and pay into government account taxes not deducted from five contractors and the accompanying fine among other liabilities standing against them.
