By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Federal lawmaker that represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District at the 8th National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani has said that the revelation by the House of Representatives that N85billion was looted and shared in the name of COVID-19 by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) has vindicated Governor Yahaya Bello who insisted then that COVID experience in Nigeria was a scam.
Comrade Shehu Sani who took to his X account @ShehuSani to air his view said: “The revelations from the House of Reps;N85 Billion was looted and shared in the name of Covid 19 by the MDAs; The Kogi white Lion appears to be vindicated here when he rebuffed Nigerian Covid experience as a scam”.
Sundiata Post recalls that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, on Thursday, directed the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments to refund N75billion allocated to it as COVID-19 intervention funds.
This was as the committee also ordered the Ministry of Health to return the N10billion released to it to produce COVID-19 vaccine.
The resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Bassey Akiba, a member of the Labour Party from Cross River State, following the non-appearance of officials of the ministry at its investigative hearing on Thursday.
The committee, in a recent advertorial, invited 59 ministries, departments and agencies to appear before it for the commencement of an investigative hearing on the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 funds.
Originally slated for Wednesday, January 17, the House shifted it to Thursday in order to commiserate with the government and people of Oyo State over Tuesday’s explosion which rocked the state capital, Ibadan.
At the commencement of the sitting at the National Assembly, Akiba moved the motion to compel the ministry to refund the funds appropriated to it.
The committee adopted the motion after it was seconded and directed that the ministry refund the said funds to the coffers of the Federal Government.
In his earlier remark, the chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun State), lamented that despite the series of invitations extended to the ministry, its officials failed to show up.
Salam said, “The Federal Ministry of Trade, Industries and Investments got the sum of N75bn as COVID-19 intervention funds. The Public Account Committee has sent invitations to the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Investments three times, and none of the invitations was honoured.
“The federal ministry of trade was to make their appearance yesterday (Wednesday). That was the last opportunity given to them and there was no such appearance. N75bn was appropriated to them.
“The former Permanent Secretary and the current Permanent Secretary are affected by this motion to refund the sum of N75bn to the Federal Government as COVID-19 intervention funds which as far as we are concerned, has not been expended.”
The committee also mandated the Federal Ministry of Health to return N10bn meant for the production of COVID-19 vaccines, but which was not spent, to the Federal Government.
Unlike the trade ministry, the Ministry of Health sent a representative, the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachallom, who informed the committee that the funds were domiciled with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
The committee, however, directed that the money should be returned, stressing that the ministry might choose to reapply to the National Assembly for the money if it was still needed.
In a related development, the committee also directed the Director General of the Rural Electrification Agency, Salihijo Ahmed, to submit documents detailing the utilisation of the agency’s COVID-19 intervention funds.
The DG appeared before the committee at the investigative hearing and requested more time to submit relevant documents.
The committee told the agency to submit the documents on Friday before the close of work and reappear before it on Monday at 10 am.
Sundiata Post recalls that report of January 19, 2021, by an Online Media (not Sundiata Post) said that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, rejected the use of COVID-19 vaccine, claiming the jabs are meant to kill people.
While addressing a crowd in a viral video, Bello said the vaccine is meant to kill people instead of being a source of healing.
“Vaccines are being produced in less than one year of COVID-19. There is no vaccine yet for HIV, malaria, cancer, headache and for several other diseases that are killing us. They want to use the (COVID-19) vaccines to introduce the disease that will kill you and us. God forbid,” he said.
