Reps Panel Urges EFCC, ICPC to Probe Ex-Labour Ministry Officials Over N3.2bn Fraud, Slams MDAs for Ignoring Audit Queries
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate two former Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Williams Alo and Yerima Tafa, over alleged mismanagement of N3.2 billion.
PAC Chairman, Bamidele Salam, expressed concern over the continued disregard for parliamentary summons by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). He revealed that the Labour Ministry had ignored seven invitations and failed to provide documents to address 32 audit queries flagged in the 2020 Auditor-General’s report.
Salam emphasized that Alo and Tafa, as the ministry’s accounting officers at the time, should be held accountable. The committee also issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the current Permanent Secretary, Saliu Usman, to respond to seven audit queries from the 2021 report or risk the committee endorsing the Auditor-General’s recommendations.
Other ministries under scrutiny include the Federal Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs, Women Affairs, and Transportation, whose Permanent Secretaries—Adeleye Ayodeji, Mariam Keshero, and Yakubu Adams Kofamata—were also given 72 hours to appear before the committee.
Salam stressed the urgency of plugging financial leakages in Nigeria, highlighting unaccounted expenditures such as N351 million for the Geneva Labour Desk, N226 million for unverified projects, and N497 million for non-existent job centers. He reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to holding MDAs accountable for budget allocations.
Follow News Review on Facebook and X
 of the House of Representatives has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate two former Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Williams Alo and Yerima Tafa, over alleged mismanagement of N3.2 billion.){kind=link}