*Extends hearing on MTEF/FSP to September 15
Juliet Akoje in Abuja
The House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance yesterday summoned the Director General of National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Dr. Aisha Dahiru-Umar, to appear in person on Monday, September 12, to answer questions on the agency’s budget performance at the hearing and sent her representatives away.
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abdullahi Saidu (APC-Niger), at the hearing yesterday in Abuja, said that the PENCOM boss has a record of not appearing before committees whenever there is need to answer questions, saying that he was not sure her representatives could answer the committee’s questions.
Saidu said that documents available to the committee showed that, PENCOM remitted only N1 billion into government coffers out of N20.7 billion it generated in 2021, which is not acceptable.
He said: “I do not know where to start because your director general 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 stressed that “I have seen some good numbers here; N20.7 billion generated against a projection of N20.8 billion, that is almost 100 per cent. But why will she shy away, she always has an excuse any time we ask her to appear.
“When you make tenable excuses, we can understand but in her case, she has become notorious in absconding. She plays truancy when it comes to appearing before the committees of the National Assembly.
“We will step them down today and call for the director general to appear on Monday,’’ he said.
The committee has also extended the hearing on Medium term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) to Thursday, September 15.
Saidu said that the extension was to accommodate absentee agencies.
The lawmaker said that the committee would not hesitate to report agencies that fail to take advantage of the extension to make their presentation.
“We will continue on Monday and end on Thursday. After 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 serve the people, you willingly accepted to represent the people,” he said, adding that “the committee and by extension, the National Assembly will not tolerate any agency shying away from answering or taking responsibility for their mandate.”
