House Probes Take-off Grants, Bailout Funds, Allocated to MDAs from 2015 Till Date

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The House of Representatives has resolved to conduct an immediate investigation into the utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA’s) government institutions, and Government Owned Enterprises (GOEs) from 2015 to present.

The House resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion moved at the plenary on Thursday by Hon. Kingsely Chinda pursuant to Order 8(5).

Moving the motion, Chinda said provisions of Section 88(2) (b) of the Constitution empowers the House to expose corruption, inefficiency or wastage in the management of public funds appropriated by the National Assembly.

The lawmaker said the effective utilisation of public funds was paramount to fostering accountability, transparency, and trust in the MDA’s, Government Institutions and GOEs

He noted that over the years, government has allocated take-off grants/ intervention funds to existing and newly established agencies and institutions to support their foundational operations, as well as bailout funds to various agencies designed to facilitate specific services and settle outstanding liabilities.

Chinda expressed worry that persistent allegations of the diversion and mismanagement of these funds, as well as the potential failure to utilise them for their intended purposes thereby undermining the effectiveness of vital public services and projects;

He expressed concern that the significant financial losses resulting from the mismanagement of these funds represented a substantial drain on public resources that could have been used for essential services and national development in-line with Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.

Chinda emphasised that the misuse of Take-off Grants, Bailout Funds, and other interventions has severely compromised national development goals, hindering progress towards critical social and economic objectives.

He further argued that the misappropriation of these funds has led to a demonstrable deterioration in the quality of public services delivery and compromised the security of the nation thereby undermining public trust in government effectiveness.

The lawmaker lamented that the lack of stringent oversight and monitoring mechanisms might contribute to the inefficiency in the deployment of these resources, resulting in wasted funds that could otherwise be utilised to improve the good intended government policies and as well protect lives of citizens.

To this end, the House resolved to “Conduct an immediate investigation into the utilization of Take-off Grants, Bailout Funds, and interventions allocated to MDA’s, Government Institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.

“Assess compliance with existing regulations and guidelines regarding the management and reporting of these funds, including any instances of diversion or misappropriation.”

The House also resolved to make recommendations for the enhancement of regulatory frameworks, sanctions, monitoring systems, and accountability measures to ensure the effective and intended use of public funds in all relevant sectors and report back to within four weeks for further legislative action.