The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives at the weekend queried the purchase of 63 ambulances by the Ministry of Women Affairs without due process.
Members of the Kingsley Chinda- headed committee were surprised that though the Federal Executive Council approved N458 million for the purchase of 63 vehicles, the ministry went ahead to buy only 39 vehicles for N558 million.
The ministry then allegedly went ahead to buy 24 extra at N587 million.
The committee grilled the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Obiageli Phyllis Nwokedi, over the fact that states that were listed as beneficiaries of the vehicles did not get them and that huge amounts were added to increase the number of vehicles purchased from 39 to 63 without appropriation.
The committee questioned the ministry based on queries from the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF), spanning in 2010 to 2013 and wanted to know where the ministry got the extra funds for without virement or recourse to the National Assembly.
The answer by Mrs. Nwokedi that the fund was sourced from the research and development vote was not acceptable to the committee.
The answer by Mrs. Nwokedi that the fund was sourced from the research and development vote was not acceptable to the committee.
The OAGF in the audit queries also wondered what became of 21 vehicles out of those procured by the ministry.
According to the audit queries, records allegedly show that only politicians and corporate bodies in the targeted states benefitted from the ambulances.
The committee members expressed dissatisfaction on the conduct of the ministry, saying though the ministry claim to be in 13 states of the country, the list used for appropriation was not followed and the ones not listed were the beneficiaries.
The chairman of the committee was not happy with the Permanent Secretary and discountenanced her claim that she is new in the ministry, saying governance is a continuum.
The ministry was, therefore, requested to provide a full list of all the vehicles, their registration numbers and their distribution across the states.
The ministry is also asked to provide the committee with an up to date asset register.
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