DIMEJI BANKOLE
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, has accused the Central Bank of Nigeria of not remitting monies to the federal treasury and refusing to be scrutinised by the National Assembly.
Bankole said that over 42 government agencies were fond of not submitting their expenditures for checks by the Assembly. He listed the Central Bank of Nigeria, which he said had a yearly budget of over N300bn as one of the defaulting parastatals.
He disclosed that in the last three years, over N1trn had been recovered by the NASS and these funds had been channeled into the next year’s budget.
He said, “It was not like that before we came. There was a year we got N450bn and another time, we recovered N200bn.
“There are 42 agencies that do not submit their budget for scrutiny and one of them is the CBN, which has over N300bn as its budget. Monies are collected and not remitted into the treasury.
“In 2010, about N2.3trn went to the local councils, yet Nigerians do not even know those in custody of these funds. I am not a saint and I don’t want to be one, but I will continue to do what is right.”
Bankole also accused the Ministry of Works as not being transparent. He said, “Three years ago, we found out that about N30bn of the budget of the Ministry of Works was for roads that had already been built and were in good shape.
“There was another N2bn that we could not balance in the budget. Later, they came and told us it was a typographical error.
“Our investigation of the MDAs revealed that N3trn collected as revenue was not remitted to the national treasury. If they like, they should continue to abuse us. It will not have any effect, because these people are not happy that we are asking them questions.
“When we have compelling reasons to invite ministers and other heads of departments and agencies, we will do so; and we had, in this process, uncovered some questionable expenditures.”
The Speaker made these disclosures at the University of Ilorin, on the invitation of the Student Union Government as part of his programme “To sensitise the Nigerian Youth.”
He said the recent outcry over the legislators’ pay was induced by certain elements because “we have decided to ask questions and perform our oversight functions.”
In a paper titled, “The challenges and prospects of transforming the Nigerian democratic polity,” Bankole attributed the poverty in the country to corruption and the subservience of the Nigerian populace, saying that Nigeria had no business being identified with nations with low human development index.
On the current electoral reform, the Speaker was not optimistic that the N87bn recently released by the National Assembly would ensure credible polls in 2011 if Nigerian youths decide to stand aloof.
He stated that, “N87bn is not a guarantee that the elections in 2011 will be free and fair. Today, any government that controls a state, not just the Peoples Democratic Party, wins 100 per cent in the elections. We are all culprits in all this. We have all lost confidence in the electoral system. Unless you (students) change your attitude, these efforts would mean nothing at the end.”
Bankole restated his full support for true federalism.
He said, “it is my view that we must shed the over-bloated weight of the responsibilities transferred to the centre. We must return to the practise of true fiscal federalism and constitutionally compel states to generate enough internal resources to grow their cities.
“Till now, some states are still looking for bonds at the last minute; while others have over N80bn in their accounts. Some states only become active when they return from Abuja, after sharing money. This is unsustainable.”
The Vice-Chancellor of UNILORIN, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, had earlier tasked students to “take their destinies in their own hands and stop being mere onlookers.”
He also told them that leadership was not just about politics, but that each one of them is a leader in every sphere of their endeavours.
Oloyede, in a paper titled “First Things First,” called on the students to be the best at whatever they do and be proactive about the situation in the country.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/
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