House Committee to Probe Industrial Training Fund

Juliet Akoje

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned the Acting Director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mrs. Adesola Taiwo over the operation of the agency’s budgets from 2018 to 2021, without the approval of the National Assembly.

The Committee which is Chaired by Hon. Busayo Oluwole Oke said it would commence immediate probe into the strange discovery and has directed the Clerk of the Committee to write a formal letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Clerk of the House of Representatives to demand for evidence of the conveyance of the Agency’s Annual Budget in the years under review from the Presidency to the National Assembly.

The Committee promised to uncover the circumstance surrounding the operation of the unapproved budgets by the Agency contrary to section 81 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as ammended) which empowers the President to convey the annual budgets of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government to the National Assembly every fiscal year for approval.

The Committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of the Acting Director General of the agency, who was represented by Director of Finance and Administration, Yusuf Abdulmajid.

Oke asked the leader of the team about the whereabouts of the acting DG, who was supposed to appear before the committee to defend allegations of infractions leveled against the agency.

He described it as unacceptable and directed the Acting DG to report physically unfailingly next Tuesday, along with a copy of letter that approved the leave.

Oke added that the agency should show evidence that its budget was actually conveyed to the National Assembly by the president and was thereafter considered and approved.

In addition, he directed that the agency should also present the reports of its budget performance from January 2020 to date, records of donations, grants and other interventions, detailed breakdown of amount disbursed and comprehensive list of beneficiaries.

The acting DG was also to come along with the Director of Human Resources, Director of Finance, and Director Procurement.