Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, convened an Ad-hoc Committee Wednesday to investigate former President Muhammadu Buhari’s N30 trillion Ways and Means advances.
The Senate President ordered the Committee to look into the N30 trillion given by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fund projects under Buhari’s government.
Despite the executive branch’s promise to provide details, the fund that passed through the National Assembly lacked them.
The Committee’s inauguration was attended by Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Oluwatoyin Madein, Accountant General of the Federation; Shaakaa Chira, Auditor-General of the Federation; Patience Oniha, Director General, Debt Management Office (DMO); and beneficiary ministries, departments, agencies, institutions.
In his inaugural address, the Senate President urged the Committee members to be impartial, non-compromising, and confidential when managing the committee’s operations.
The Committee was established following the acceptance of a resolution by the Senate Joint Committees on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions; Finance; National Planning; Agriculture; and Appropriations.
Akpabio stated that the 10th Senate believes in transparency, accountability, and good governance, adding that the Committee should demonstrate their commitments as Nigerians are demanding to know how large sums of money were spent.
The 17-member committee, chaired by Jibrin Isah of the Kogi East Senatorial District, was charged with maintaining confidentiality and keeping their investigations away from prying eyes of journalists.Akpabio stated,
“The formation of this committee demonstrates the Senate’s unshakable commitment to openness, accountability, and good governance. It illustrates our commitment to resolving Nigerians’ issues while respecting democratic ideals.
I implore the members of this esteemed committee to approach their responsibilities with the utmost patriotism, professionalism, and integrity.”Your investigation requires objectivity and fairness, with the public interest and well-being of our country always at the forefront.
In our search of the truth, we must exhaust all possibilities. As a result, undertake thorough investigations and gather evidence that will aid the Senate in creating laws for the benefit of our country.”Jibrin Isah, Chairman of the Committee, informed the panel of its devotion to the task at hand.
He emphasized that they would not abdicate their duties given Nigerians’ interest in what happened to the N30 trillion Ways and Means.