Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The Kogi State House of Assembly has urged the State Government to ensure that contracts and supplies be initiated, vouchers raised and payments made by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies and not by the Office of the Accountant General.

“The practice incapacitates the MDAs from rendering comprehensive returns on payment of these contracts”.

This forms part of the report of the public accounts committee on the procurement audit report of Ministries, Department and Agencies, (MDA’s) for the period 2016 to January, 2024 which was adopted by members of the Assembly on Wednesday.

The report which was read by Chairman of the Committee and member representing Okehi State Constituency Hon. Otokiti Alhassan Zakariya urged the MDAs with discrepancies in figures of contracts to make reconciliations with the office of the Accountant General and also direct the the contractors who had been fully paid to urgently return to site for the completion of the contracts with proper monitoring by the Public Accounts Committee.

The House also mandated the Public Accounts Committee to further invite the Management of the Local Government Service Commission to furnish the Committee reasons for its failure to appear before the Committee.

Other recommendations of the committee reads in part “The House do direct the Public Accounts Committee to interface with the Ministry of Agriculture to ascertain the exact condition of reasons why certain capital intensive projects made by the State Government which had been completed are not put to optimal use . Such projects include the establishment of 50 tons per day Rice Mill which was leased out and the 25 Nos of 375 2 Wheel 75 Horse Power Tractors that were fully paid for and not utilized.

“A resolution of the House be made urging the Office of the Accountant General to always reconcile its figures with the various MDA’s so as to take care of the incessant figure discrepancies with the Office.

“The House do direct the Public Accounts Committee to ensure that the Ministry of Health paid the two contractors their outstanding balance domiciled in the Office account. The Committee is fully satisfied with the Kogi State Bureau of Public Procurement towards ensuring that the MDA’‘s complied with the provision of the procurement law, 2020 and value for money achieved in all the services rendered for the wellbeing of the citizens”.

“I hope that this Report will justify the expectation of the House and will carefully implement the sanctions recommended therein. It is our submission that the Resolutions of the House based on this report would attract the needed diligence in handling financial matters and compliance with financial rules and regulations” Hon. Zakariya added.

In his submissions, the Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf said the House would not allow any Ministry, Department and Agencies to put Kogi State in any disadvantaged position.