House Of Reps order arrest of Ogun-Osun Basin MD

The House of Representatives made good its threat to start issuing warrant of arrest for Chief Executives of Government agencies who refuse to appear before the House Committee investigating the refusal of MDAs to submit their audited accounts to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation as required by law.

At its resumed sitting on Wednesday, the House Committee on Public Account which is about the only constitutional Committee of the House Issued a warrant of arrest on the Managing Director of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Olufemi Olayemi.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Oluwole Okewho issued the warrant also summoned the Minister for Water Resources, Engr. Sueiman Adamu to appear before the committee to explain why accounts of all River Basin Authorities in the country were not audited in accordance with the laws od the land.

It will be recalled that the House had warned that it will henceforth issue warrant of arrest on Chief Executives of government agencies who refuse to appear before it.

Oke who was furious at the appearance of the Managing Director of the agency said that he particularly directed the agency boss to re-appear today for their own audited accounts to be scrutinized and wondered why the agency helmsman failed to turn up.

The Committee was also not impressed with the submission of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service, the National Insurance Commission NICON and placed them on status enquiry for failing to properly submit their audited accounts as an when due.

Oke wondered why most of the agencies that made some efforts to submit their yearly audited accounts are doing so after more than one year against the extant provision of the laws.

He also frowned at the non-appearance of the CEOs of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Upper Benue and Benin Owena River Basin Development Authorities and some other agencies and called on them to urgently report to the probe panel or be ready for arrest and sanction.

Agencies that appeared before the committee on Wednesday include the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi Abuja, Federal Medical Centre, Ebutte Meta, Lagos and other hospitals among others.