The House of Representatives Committee on Finance, has extended the hearing on Medium term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) to Thursday, Sept.15.
The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Rep. Abdullahi Saidu (APC-Niger) who said this at the hearing on Thursday in Abuja, said that the extension was to accommodate agencies who were absent.
The lawmaker said that the committee will not hesitate to report agencies who failed to take advantage of the extension to make their presentation.
“We will continue on Monday and end on Thursday, any agency that fails to appear, we will let Nigerians know those who are shying away from their responsibility that the Constitution has placed on them.
“I have said it over and over that no one was forced to take up responsibility in government, you willingly accepted to service the people, you willingly accepted to represent the people.
“The committee and by extension, the National Assembly will not tolerate any agency shying away from answering or take responsibility on their mandate.
“So by next week, we will continue with the exercise, the Clerk will reach out to agencies that have not appeared, we will write them again, demanding that they appear before the committee,” he said.
Earlier, the committee frowned at the absence of the Director-General of National Pension Commission (PENCOM) Dr Aisha Dahiru-Umar, at the hearing.
The committee demanded that the director-general appeared in person on Monday, Sept. 12 to answer questions on the commission’s 2021 budget performance.
Saidu said that PENCOM boss has a record of not appearing before committees whenever there was need to answer questions saying that he was not sure her representatives can answer the committee’s questions.
Lawmaker said that documents available to the committee showed that PENCOM remitted only N1 billion into government coffers out of N20.7 billion generated in 2021, saying that it was not acceptable.
“I do not know where to start because your D-G is always unavoidably absent, I do not know why she is shying away from sitting with the committee and I think it calls on us to demand responsibility from her,” he said.
NAN
