Reps' panel asks NPC to account for N2.2bn

The House of Representatives Committee on  Public Accounts on Thursday asked the National Population Commission to account for over N2.2bn

The money was said to have been released to the commission by the Debt Management Office from 2005 to 2012.

The committee, which is headed by Mr. Adeola Olamilekan, also said the NPC had 40 unanswered audit queries by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

The committee gave the directive after the NPC's Acting Chairman,Dr Emmanuel Attah, appeared before lawmakers to say that the total amount it received was N1.6bn and not N2.2bn.

But, at the session, Olamilekan pointed out that the commission received N2.2bn from the Service Wide Vote.

The breakdown by the audit queries indicated that in 2005, the NPC received N908.6m; N32.m in 2006;N163.6m in 2009;N159m and N902.4m in 2012.

Olamilekan also gave a breakdown of the 40 audit queries, adding that several invitations to the former chairman of the commission, Mr. Festus Odumegwu, were ignored.

'We were to issue a bench warrant for his arrest before he left office,' he added.