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Nigeria: Senators Throw Out Finance Ministry Officials
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Vanguard (Lagos)
21 May 2008
Posted to the web 21 May 2008
Emmanuel Aziken
Lagos
SENIOR officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance representing the Minister of Finance were yesterday sent out by the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts who were peeved by last year's return of funds earmarked for payment of local contractors in the 2007 budget.
The Senator Ehigie Uzamere-led Committee was also peeved by the failure of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, and the Director of Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okongwu, to appear at the scheduled hearing.
The Committee thus summoned the duo to appear before it next week to give details of the exact amount owed local contractors which Committee members yesterday put at billions of naira.
Upon explanations of the mission by their representative, Mr. Chamwasu Gah, the Director of Expenditure, the Senate Committee summoned the Accountant-General of the Federation to appear before it next week.
Besides Senator Uzamere, other Senators present at yesterday's Committee session were the Committee Vice-Chairman, Senator Kabiru Gaya and Senators Sulaiman Nazif, Uffot Ekaette, Mohammed Talba, John Shagaya and Osita Izunaso.
"The main reason for your invitation is the N25 billion provision in the 2006 budget for payment of local contractors. Since her inauguration, the Committee has been inundated with petition by contractors," Senator Uzamere said in his opening speech.
"Some of these contractors' properties have been confiscated by banks. Many others are under heavy debt burden and unable to cater for their families while some have died due to heartbreak and depression.
Even big time construction companies have laid off their staff due to non payment for contracts executed,' he said.
Following his speech Senator Nazif observed that neither the minister nor the Director of the Budget Office was present and requested to know the reasons for their absence and the designations of the representatives.
Mr. Gah in his explanation said the Minister and the Director of the Budget office were unable to make it to the meeting because of other engagements. The Senators upon that explanation expressed misgivings, saying the meeting with the Committee was scheduled as far back as March and expressed regrets that the meeting could not continue.
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Before the meeting was called off, the Committee members said they would seek explanation from the Minister and the Director of Budget Office reasons for the return of funds earmarked for the payment of local contractors back to the treasury last year.
The contractors are not paid due mainly to the fact that they have not greased the pockets of the officials of the federal ministry of finance.
The truth is progressively showing up about some of this aministration,s policy of THE RULE OF LAW that is being demonstrated as NON-PAYMENT OF CONTRACTORS employed by the former administration on contractual projects that have been executed. This has exposed local contractors to vaerious hardships ranging from confiscation of their properties by banks to exposing them to debts etc. The foreign contractors, some on the power plants projects, that have suffered similar fate will, no doubt suffer various financial hardships as well. This is definitely a crime because it is inadmissible as an error or lack of... [Read Full Text]
The truth about this administration,s leadership is progressively peeping out of the darkness amidst of the seemingly nicely ochestrated propaganda against the former administration. It seems that part of the chor policy of this administration,s RULE OF LAW is to refuse to various contractors employed by the former administration for the the various projects they have executed according to contractual agreements with the government. This has resulted in various hardships to the local contractors ranging fom confiscation of their properties by the banks to sinking them into debts. Effects on foreign contractors that have suffered similar experiences... [Read Full Text]
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